Medellin Voters Elect Independent Daniel Quintero Calle for Mayor; Former Governor, Mayor Anibal Gaviria Repeats as Antioquia Governor

Voters in Medellin and the surrounding Antioquia department on October 27 continued a long tradition of electing relatively young, energetic, politically moderate mayors along with older, more-experienced governors who are more interested in delivering practical, concrete results rather than poseurs flaunting left-wing or right-wing flamboyance.

Relative newcomer Daniel Quintero Calle – an independent and technocrat who supports continuation of EPM’s giant “Hidroituango” hydroelectric project but questioned EPM’s management – took 38.56% of the Medellin vote for Mayor, beating politically moderate Centro Democratico candidate Alfredo Ramos, son of a former Antioquia governor, who nabbed 29.88% of the vote.

Quintero publicly rejected attacks coming from former Colombia President Alvaro Uribe (leader of Centro Democratico) but simultaneously denounced an endorsement from left-wing politician Gustavo Petro, who was soundly defeated by moderate conservative Ivan Duque in last year’s Colombian presidential elections.

Meanwhile, politically moderate Anibal Gaviria Correa – who won the support of numerous political parties including Liberal, Cambio Radical, La U and Alianza Verde, and likewise supports continuation of the Hidroituango project – got 35.97% of Antioquia’s votes for Governor, beating similarly moderate Centro Democratico candidate Andres Guerra, with 28.78% of the vote.

While Centro Democratico came in second in the Mayor’s and Governor’s races, it nevertheless won the majority of City Council seats and a plurality of Antioquia departmental seats, ensuring that compromise and moderation will continue to dominate Medellin and Antioquia politics.