Conservative leads way as Colombia’s presidential election heads for run-off

Conservative leads way as Colombia’s presidential election heads for run-off

Colombia’s presidential election is heading to a run-off after conservative former senator Ivan Duque finished first in voting on Sunday.

He is likely to face off against leftist former rebel Gustavo Petro, who had the seemingly unsurmountable edge in a tight race for second place.

With almost all polling stations reporting, Mr Duque won 39%. He was trailed by Mr Petro, who won 25% and former Medellin mayor Sergio Fajardo, who finished with 24%.

Colombia Election
Gustavo Petro was set for second place in the election (Ricardo Mazalan/AP)

The two presidential candidates represent opposite ends of Colombia’s political spectrum and have presented dramatically different visions for the future of the nation as it moves forward with a historic peace process with leftist rebels.

Mr Duque is the hand-picked candidate of Alvaro Uribe, the former president and chief critic of the nation’s 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

He is promising to amend important aspects of the accord like ensuring that drug trafficking is not an amnestied crime.

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