Colombia's presidential election will be decided in a run-off after right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and left-wing Senator Iván Cepeda emerged as the top two candidates in Sunday's first-round vote.
With around 99.5% of ballots counted, de la Espriella had won 43.7% of the vote, while Cepeda secured about 41%, according to electoral authorities. Neither candidate obtained the majority needed to avoid a second round, which is scheduled for June 21.
About 41 million Colombians were eligible to vote to choose a successor to left-wing President Gustavo Petro, who was barred by the constitution from seeking a second term.
The election is widely seen as a decision on whether Colombia should continue Petro's agenda of higher social spending and negotiations with armed groups or shift towards a more conservative approach focused on security and economic reforms.
Conservative Senator Paloma Valencia, who had been considered among the leading contenders before the vote, finished a distant third with around 7%.
Contrasting visions over social spending and security
Cepeda, a member of the governing coalition, has pledged to continue Petro's reform programme. De la Espriella has campaigned on a tougher security strategy, lower government spending and an uncompromising stance against armed groups.
The campaign was overshadowed by a deteriorating security situation. In the weeks leading up to the election, a series of attacks killed and wounded civilians, soldiers and police officers.
Colombia is currently experiencing "one of the worst waves of violence in recent years," said Kristin Wesemann, head of the Colombia office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), a German think tank.
Petro became Colombia's first left-wing president when he was elected in 2022. Supporters credit his administration with reducing poverty and increasing social spending, while critics argue that his "total peace" policy has failed to deliver a decisive breakthrough in curbing violence by armed groups.
Parliamentary elections held in March already showed the depth of polarization in Colombia. Although Petro's left-wing coalition became the strongest force in the Senate, no party managed to attain a clear majority.
That means the future president is likely to struggle in coalition negotiations.
