Colombians head to polls in tightest election in recent memory By Reuters

By Nelson Bocanegra

BOGOTA/BUCARAMANGA (Reuters) – Colombians will head to the polls on Sunday to elect their upcoming president, picking concerning a leftist previous guerrilla who is pushing profound social adjust and an eccentric construction magnate who has promised to battle corruption.

Candidates Gustavo Petro, at the time a member of the M-19 rebels, and Rodolfo Hernandez, who very first collected guidance as a result of TikTok movies, are technically tied in polling.

Petro, a previous mayor of money Bogota and current senator, has pledged to fight inequality with totally free college instruction, pension reforms and significant taxes on unproductive land.

His proposals – primarily a ban on new oil tasks – have startled some traders, though he has promised to respect present-day contracts.

“We are one particular stage from obtaining the genuine transform we have waited for all our life,” Petro wrote on Twitter (NYSE:). “There are no doubts, only certainty. We are heading to make history.”

Petro, who is producing his 3rd presidential bid, would be Colombia’s initial leftist president, including the Andean country to a checklist of Latin American nations which have elected progressives in current decades.

Petro, 62, mentioned he was tortured by the armed service when he was detained for his involvement with the guerrillas and his opportunity victory has superior-position armed forces officers bracing for alter.

Hernandez, who served as mayor of Bucaramanga, was a surprise contender in the operate-off and has promised to shrink govt and to finance social courses by stopping corruption.

He has also pledged to give cost-free narcotics to addicts in an hard work to battle drug trafficking.

Regardless of his anti-graft rhetoric, Hernandez is beneath a corruption investigation himself more than allegations he intervened in a trash administration tender to gain a business his son lobbied for. He has denied wrongdoing.

Hernandez – like Petro – has pledged to fully put into practice a 2016 peace offer with FARC rebels and seek talks with the still-lively ELN guerrillas, even though he accuses that group of kidnapping and murdering his daughter Juliana in 2004.

The ELN has denied any involvement and her body has by no means been located.

“The election is straightforward. Vote for a person who is controlled by the very same people as always or vote for me, who just isn’t controlled by anyone,” said the 77-12 months-previous, who has eschewed common campaigning in favor of posting whimsical social media movies.

Hernandez has pledged to regard the results, whilst Petro has lifted doubts about the integrity of electoral officials.

The two gentlemen have canceled campaign occasions due to the fact of what they mentioned were being threats to their life.

Whoever wins, Colombia will inaugurate its initially Black woman vice-president in August – Petro’s running mate Francia Marquez and Hernandez’s next-in-command Marelen Castillo are each Afro-Colombian.

Colombia’s law enforcement claimed this 7 days they are on optimum inform immediately after detecting ideas by radical groups to dedicate functions of violence connected to the vote.

Some 39 million Colombians are qualified to solid ballots.

Just underneath 55% of them turned out for the 1st round – which, like the 2nd, is having put over a holiday break weekend.