Colombian politics drifts as Duque faces reality of government

President’s first 100 days marked by protests, tax reform failure and falling ratings

Gideon Long in Bogotá

When Iván Duque was sworn in as Colombia’s president in August, hopes for his government were high.

A fresh-faced 42-year-old with years of experience at the Inter-American Development Bank, he was one of several pragmatic centre-right leaders to win power in Latin America as the leftist “pink tide” of the past decade retreated.

But three months on, and despite a relatively steady economy — with inflation within the central bank target at 3.3 per cent and growth of about 3 per cent expected next year — Mr Duque is finding governing the country far harder than winning the election.