Colombia: At the polls for the election of the new president of the country

Its citizens come to the polls today, Sunday Colombia to elect their new president. The favorite to replace Ivan Duque, who can not be a candidate again, is Gustavo Petrowhere may become the first left-wing president in the country’s modern history.

Nearly 39 million voters are expected in 12,000 constituencies, where they will be asked to choose between six candidates.

The elections are taking place in a climate of lively political tensions, after four years without fundamental reforms, marked by a pandemic, a major recession, mass demonstrations in cities and the escalation of violence in the countryside by armed groups.

Leftist Gustavo Petro is the first to appear in the pollsa former Social Democrat rebel, economist and former mayor of Bogota, who managed to capitalize on his thirst for “change”, which became the emblem of his campaign.

“Finally there are two options”said Petros, during the last debate on Friday. “Whether we live in what we have: corruption, violence and hunger. “Are we changing to move towards peace, productive progress and a transparent democracy?”he promised, calling on his fellow citizens to unite “for life”, another central slogan of his campaign.

This is the third time that 62-year-old Petros is running in the presidential election and for many of the members of the “Historic Pact” coalition – which came first in the parliamentary elections last March – it is “now or never”. With him, the Afro-Colombian Frances Marquez, who has always been a militant feminist and anti-racist, has already emerged as one of the phenomena of this presidential election.

Opposite them, the conservative candidate Federico Gutierreza former mayor of Medellin, who wants to become a defender of the “ordinary” Colombians, to whom he promises “order and security”.

The polls will be open from 08:00 until 16:00 local time. A second round is scheduled for June 19 in case – most likely according to the press – Petros does not get more than 50%.