President Gustavo Petro posted on X that extreme poverty measures his administration's success and that it has lifted nearly four million Colombians out of it.
President Gustavo Petro stated in a post on his X account that reducing extreme poverty is the key metric for assessing his leadership. He described it as Colombia's 'major social deficit' and a 'great national failure' built over two centuries. Petro emphasized that since taking office, his core goal has been to lower poverty levels, calling it the foundation for human freedom and his personal objective. He defended his administration's social priorities, citing the opening of public university branches in various regions and funding for youth education and training. He also pointed to policies like subsidies for single mothers with children under six and pension bonuses for elderly without pensions. Petro proudly claimed his government has lifted nearly four million Colombians out of poverty and aims to do more in his remaining term. He acknowledged that eradicating extreme poverty cannot happen overnight but said his policies have substantially reduced it. In closing, he argued this metric determines whether a government enriches or impoverishes society, tying future elections to sustaining or reversing this path.