The controversial ‘Tik Tok King’ vying for Colombia’s presidency

Rodolfo Hernandez shocked Colombia by finishing second in first round of voting and is now within reach of top post.

Millions of Colombian voters are poised to take a step into the unknown this week, as they invest their hopes in a controversial figure who they believe will help the country reinvent itself politically.

Rodolfo Hernandez shocked much of Colombia by producing a surprise, second-place result in the first round of the country’s presidential elections in late May, garnering 28 percent of the vote.

That secured his place in the upcoming June 19 runoff against left-wing, former armed group member Gustavo Petro.

“Hernandez was not seen as a viable contender until three weeks before the first round,” Sergio Guzman, a political analyst and director of the Colombia Risk Analysis consultancy group, told Al Jazeera.

The 77-year-old construction tycoon is not a typical presidential candidate in Colombia, where for the last few decades politics have been largely centered on Uribismo, a brand of conservatism ushered in by former President Alvaro Uribe, who still holds significant political sway.

Hernandez is aware of his differences and brandishes them with pride. He is brash, controversial, and foul-mouthed, and has built his presidential campaign around his position as a political outsider and straight-shooting “regular Joe”.

That is what appeals to a large segment of Colombia’s electorate, namely low-income and less educated voters, explained Guzman. “He represents a frustration with the entire system,” Guzman said.

Hernandez, the former mayor of the mid-sized city of Bucaramanga, about 400km (250 miles) north of the capital Bogota, has distanced himself from the traditional political circles and has run an unorthodox campaign upheld by populist rhetoric and an ambiguous political program.

The septuagenarian held few political rallies and instead campaigned predominantly through his carefully crafted social media channels. He has dubbed himself the “King of Tik Tok”, a platform on which he has amassed more than 500,000 followers.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES