Divided Colombians cast their ballots in the first post civil war era election

By James Blears

The front runner in Colombia's Presidential Election, with about forty percent support in the polls, is Ivan Duque of the Democratic Center Party. A lawyer by trade and a protoge of former President Alvaro Uribe, he's calling for tax cuts, wants to boost the oil and mining industries and he's determined to alter as well as toughen the Peace agreement by jailing Guerrila leaders for war crimes.

Trailing by about ten percent in the polls is Gustavo Petro of the left leaning Humane Party. A former urban guerrila and an ex Mayor of Bogota, he's pledging to end Colombia's dependence of fossil fuels by boosting agriculatural production via radical land reform. He agrees with the peace accord which ended five decades of strife and división and doesn't want to change or amend it.

If no Candidate gains more than 50 percent of the vote in round one, then there will be a runoff on June 17th.