Colombia presidential runoff pits leftist senator against pro-Trump rival

Colombia presidential runoff pits leftist senator against pro-Trump rival 36 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Ione Wells South America correspondent Getty Images Iván Cepeda Castro (left) and his rival Abelardo de la Espriella (right) go head-to-head in a presidential election runoff vote Colombia's presidential election will go to a runoff on 21 June between a leftist and right-wing candidate on opposite ends of the political spectrum, after Sunday's vote produced no overall winner. The right-wing Abelardo de la Espriella, an admirer of Donald Trump, came top in the vote, followed closely by the left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, an ally of the current president Gustavo Petro. The campaign was plagued with violence, including drone strikes, kidnappings, homicides and the assassination of a presidential candidate at a rally last year. Both men offer differing visions for how to solve Colombia's violent internal armed conflict that has lasted for decades but has resurged in recent years. On Sunday, neither candidate achieved more than 50% of the vote to win outright. While polls tipped Cepeda to finish ahead of his right-wing challenger, official results showed that he trailed, with 41% of votes compared to De la Espriella's 43.7%, with almost all ballots counted. Cepeda was actively involved in the peace talks that led to a historic deal in 2016 between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrilla group, which led to the disarmament of thousands of rebel fighters. He is often described as an architect of the "total peace" strategy of President Petro, Colombia first left-wing president, which prioritises dialogue and negotiations with armed groups during ceasefires, over military intervention. Under President Petro's presidency, cocaine production hit a record high, membership of armed groups grew, and violence on the border surged to its worst level in years, displacing tens of thousands of people. This has led his critics and many security analysts to denounce "total peace" as a failed strategy, though Petro has argued his government has seized the largest amount of drugs in history. The economy has grown, and Petro increased the minimum wage significantly, though about one in three Colombians still live in poverty. Cepeda has pledged economic reforms if elected, including expanding welfare benefits and handing land to victims of internal conflict. EPA Armed guards were stationed at some polling centres across Colombia. De La Espriella is a lawyer and businessman who dubs himself "El Tigre", the tiger. He has heavily criticised Petro's negotiations with armed groups and advocated a tough military crackdown on crime, including closer co-operation with the United States, bombing cartels with US support, more powers for the military and possible mass trials. He has pledged to build 10 mega-prisons in the jungle in the style of El Salvador's hardline right-wing President Nayib Bukele who, many commentators have observed, De La Esprie