Polls close in Colombia in presidential election marked by polarization
The polls closed this Sunday (31) in Colombia after eight hours of voting in the presidential election that should define the two candidates who will advance to a likely second round.
Colombians voted to choose between left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, lawyer and businessman Abelardo de la Espriella and right-wing senator Paloma Valencia, in a dispute marked by different proposals for the economy, security and the fight against inequality.
More than 40 million voters were eligible to vote. The results are scheduled to be released at 8pm this Sunday (31st), Brasília time.
Opinion polls indicated an advantage for Iván Cepeda, 63 years old, but indicated that the senator would be unlikely to reach more than 50% of the votes needed to win the election in the first round. The most likely scenario projected by the surveys was a new vote in June.
Son of a murdered communist leader, Cepeda defends the expansion of the reforms initiated by President Gustavo Petro's government. Among its proposals are the continuation of negotiations with illegal armed groups, the deepening of measures aimed at reducing inequality and poverty, the increase in taxes for the richest, the allocation of 1 million hectares for victims of the internal conflict and the expansion of health coverage.
In second place in the polls was Abelardo de la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer and businessman who has never held an elected position. Presenting himself as an outsider candidate, he proposes a stricter security policy against illegal armed groups, the construction of 10 mega-prisons and initiatives aimed at reducing poverty through investments in education, health and housing.
De la Espriella's proposals and public image have been compared to those of the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele. During the campaign, the businessman also argued that an eventual victory for Cepeda would represent the continuity of the economic policies adopted by the Petro government, including the ban on new oil projects.
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The lawyer stated that he financed his campaign with his own resources, without receiving donations from political parties or large companies. The claim, however, could not be independently verified by Reuters.
In third place in the polls was Paloma Valencia, a senator supported by former president Álvaro Uribe and considered one of the main representatives of the Colombian right. Its electoral platform includes proposals to combat corruption, drug trafficking and illegal armed groups.
Valencia also defends tax incentives to stimulate job creation and social programs aimed at health, education and housing. According to his campaign, these initiatives would be financed by the resumption of oil and gas exploration.
Polls released before the vote suggested that, in a possible second round, the dispute would be more balanced. This is because center and right-wing voters would no longer have several candidate options, concentrating their votes among the finalists in the presidential race.
With voting over, attention now turns to counting the votes and defining the candidates who will continue in the race for command of the country.
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Source: CNN