Colombia: Polls open in tight presidential election
Key takeaways
- Surveys are predicting a close, three-way race between a veteran leftist candidate, a right-wing senator and an independent businessman, which is likely to go to a second-round run-off.
- Ivan Cepeda, a 63-year-old left-leaning senator, has been leading opinion polls, but looks unlikely to overcome the 50%-plus hurdle required to secure an absolute majority.
- Incumbent President Gustavo Petro cannot seek another term.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Surveys are predicting a close, three-way race between a veteran leftist candidate, a right-wing senator and an independent businessman, which is likely to go to a second-round run-off.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Ec Hm Colombian voters will choose between three leading candidates Image: Charlie Cordero/REUTERSAdvertisement Voters in Colombia headed to the polls on Sunday in a tight, three-way presidential election which is expected to go to a second round.
More than 40 million Colombians are eligible to vote in the poll featuring a leftist candidate pledging to expand social reforms, an independent businessman portraying himself as an outsider and a right-wing senator who could become the country's first female president.