Far-right candidate Aberlardo de la Espriella took the lead in the first round of Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday, and will face left-wing Iván Cepeda in a runoff on June 21.

According to preliminary results, De la Espriella won nearly 44% of the vote, while Cepeda — the ruling party’s candidate, as Colombia has barred presidential reelection since 2015 — finished second with 41%, despite entering the race as the frontrunner in most opinion polls.

Given none of the candidates reached the required minimum of 50% to win in the general election, Colombia’s next president will be decided in 20 days.

While polls had suggested that traditional right-wing candidate Paloma Valencia would be locked in a tight race with De la Espriella for second place, she ultimately finished a distant third with just 7% of the vote. 

The result underscored the extent to which the electorate coalesced around the two candidates at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum.

Following the announcement of the results, Valencia and former President Álvaro Uribe, who had backed her candidacy, threw their support behind De la Espriella and said their party, Centro........

© Buenos Aires Herald