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Politics

POLL: A leftist, former guerrilla fighter is set to win Colombia's presidential elections

May 11, 2022 1:18pm

Updated: May 12, 2022 9:14am

A new poll has shown that Colombian leftist presidential candidate Gustavo Petro – a former guerilla who has promised to “democratize” the South American nation’s economy – would beat center-right Federico Gutierrez in a runoff election.

According to data from Tuesday’s YanHaas poll, Petro, the former mayor of Bogota, enjoyed 40% support – up 3% from the agency’s March poll. Gutierrez, the former mayor of Medellin (Colombia’s second largest city), on the other hand, received 21% of the total vote.

In a runoff, however, the poll suggests that Petro would best Petro, obtaining 47% of the vote compared to Gutierrez’s 34%.

Since hitting the campaign trail, Petro has activated Colombia’s struggling middle class by promising to tackle income inequality. Investors, however, have warned that his plan to redistribute pension savings and his pledge to half new energy projects could put the South American country’s economic performance at risk, Reuters reported.

More than 39 million Colombians are eligible to vote in the election. If none of the candidates win more than half of the votes, a runoff election will be held in June between the two candidates with the most votes.

By law, no public official, including mayors and governors, may participate in campaigns prior to elections.