Thousands march in Colombia against Petro's reforms

Demonstrators protest against Colombian President Gustavo Petro's reforms in the health, retirement, employment and prison sectors, in Bogota, Colombia June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Thousands of anti-government demonstrators marched through Colombia's major cities on Tuesday to protest the economic and social reforms pushed by the government of leftist President Gustavo Petro.

Petro, who took office last August as Colombia's first left-wing president, won election on promises to cut poverty and inequality and also roll out a policy of "total peace" to end the country's almost six decades of armed conflict which has killed at least 450,000 people.