Colombia: Presidential elections head toward second-round run off

By James Blears

With most of the votes counted, left-wing candidate Gustavo Petro has won round one of Sunday`s Colombian Presidential Election.

However, independent candidate, 77-year-old Rodolfo Hernandez will be contesting round two against him in June. 

62-year-old Petro, an economist, a senator and the ex-mayor of the Capitol Bogota, as a young man, was a member of the M19 guerrilla group. If he wins round two and the presidency, he is planning a radical change of social and economic direction.

Petro won just over forty percent of the vote, while Hernandez, a former mayor of Bucaramanga has got 28.1 percent. 

Petro is promising more equitable pensions distribution, free public universities for students and better implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement with the FARC, plus meaningful talks with the ELN, who haven`t laid down their guns. 

Hernandez is vowing to combat corruption and balance deep social inequality, with the skills of a successful businessman. 

In 2018, Petro lost the second-round runoff to now outgoing President Ivan Duque.

On June 19th Colombian voters will decide who of these two, will lead and run the country for the next four years.