BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombians vote on Sunday to select a brand new president from amongst a former insurgent promising beneficiant social applications, a center-right candidate warning in opposition to a leftist financial mannequin, and an eccentric enterprise magnate.
Gustavo Petro, a leftist former mayor of Bogota and member of the M-19 guerrilla group and present senator, is persistently main opinion polls with round 40% help, ten factors under what he would want to safe the presidency and not using a June second spherical.
The 62-year-old has attracted backing on guarantees to redistribute pensions, provide free public college, and battle deep inequality.
His fundamental opponent is Federico Gutierrez, the center-right former mayor of Medellin, who has round 25% help.
Gutierrez has emphasised his personal plans for a fundamental revenue for five million households, financial development of 5% per 12 months, and extra environment friendly authorities spending in response to accusations he’s an ideological successor to unpopular President Ivan Duque.
Gutierrez, 47, has mentioned Petro is a menace to democracy and warned the leftist’s financial plans, together with a ban on new oil and gasoline tasks, will smash Colombia’s economic system.
Polling third in the six-way race is building magnate and former mayor of Bucaramanga Rodolfo Hernandez, with about 20% help.
Hernandez, who’s operating independently, is thought for whimsical social media movies, together with of him using an electrical scooter, and anti-corruption guarantees. The 77-year-old is himself going through an ongoing investigation into whether or not he intervened in a young to profit an organization his son lobbied for. He has denied wrongdoing.
The nation’s Registrar has mentioned there isn’t a risk of electoral fraud, after candidates repeatedly expressed considerations about irregularities throughout March legislative elections which electoral officers classed as procedural errors.
Polls will open at 8 a.m. native time and shut at 4 p.m. (2100 GMT). Officials have mentioned they expects outcomes round 4 hours later.
(Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
