Gustavo Petro Takes Lead In First Round Of Presidential Race

Polling frontrunner and left-wing senator Gustavo Petro leads in the first round of Colombia's presidential election as the vote count went underway. Partial results published so far put his support at 41%, with a 12ppt gap to his closest rival.

• Petro, a former guerilla fighter and Bogota Mayor, is proposing to reform Colombia's economic model, by promoting greated redistribution of wealth and turning to clean energy sources, which has upset some investors.
• If no candidate manages to garner more than 50% of the vote, the two best performers will proceed to the runoff to be held on June 19. It is widely expected that Petro will win the first round, but he is unlikely to avoid the second round.
• Independent anti-establishment candidate Rodolfo Hernandez is second as we type, with ex-Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez lagging just a few percentage points behind.
• Incumbent President Ivan Duque could not run for another term. Note that Duque beat Petro in the 2018 runoff, but the latter received a decent result for a left-wing candidate in Colombian presidential poll.