Right and Left Vie for Victory in Colombia under U.S. Shadow

(Crisis Group) Colombians will vote for a new president on 31 May at the end of a polarised campaign marked by sharply contrasting views of the outgoing left-wing government. Of the pool of eleven candidates, none is likely to secure the 50 per cent of votes needed to win outright, but three have a real prospect of getting to a second round on 21 June. Pre-election polls show Iván Cepeda, a left-wing senator from the governing Historic Pact party, winning between 33 and 45 per cent of the vote. Hard-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, from the Defenders of the Homeland movement, and right-wing senator Paloma Valencia, from the Democratic Centre party, are competing for second place. Candidates from the centre of the political spectrum, including former Antioquia governor Sergio Fajardo and former senator and Bogotá mayor Claudia López, are polling below 6 per cent. – Right and Left Vie for Victory in Colombia under U.S. Shadow | International Crisis Group