Colombians Vote in First Round of Presidential Election

Colombians voted Sunday in the first round of the presidential election to replace term-limited President Gustavo Petro. Polls opened across the country with a heavy security presence and a ban on alcohol sales in public places. Government-allied Senator Ivan Cepeda is leading in the polls and is seeking more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a June 21 runoff.

A second round would allow the splintered right wing to consolidate behind one candidate.

The contest features three main contenders.

Cepeda, 63, has pledged to continue Petro’s social reforms aimed at reducing poverty. He supports continuing the “Total Peace” plan that prioritizes negotiations with armed groups. He has pointed to the policies of El Salvador’s president as a model. Fourteen candidates are on the ballot overall. If no one secures an outright majority, the top two finishers advance to the June runoff.

The vote takes place against a backdrop of rising violence.

Last year, presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was assassinated during a campaign event in Bogota. Colombia has experienced its worst surge in violence since the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC guerrilla group. Cepeda supporter Cristian Morales, 26, told The Associated Press that dialogue is the only path to lasting peace.

“The solution to this conflict isn’t aggressive confrontations,” he said. “Some people are going to have to fall to clean up what needs to be cleaned,” she told the news agency.

Petro became Colombia’s first left-wing president in 2022.

His administration expanded social programs and took positions at odds with the United States, including support for Palestinian rights. Relations with Washington improved after Petro visited the White House in February. A CNC poll earlier this month showed Cepeda at 33.4 percent support, ahead of his two main rivals.