Columbia’s Senator and former guerilla Gustavo Petro has been decisively elected as the left’s presidential candidate, placing him in a strong position to become the country’s first-ever leftist president in May.
The 61-year-old came out on top in the inter-party “consultations” on Sunday, which took place alongside elections for the Senate and House of Representatives, which are now held by right-wing parties.
However, according to preliminary results, leftist candidates are expected to win the most seats in Colombia’s Senate and compete for second place in the lower house.
According to election authority data, the left’s Historical Pact coalition is on track to win 17 of the 102 seats in the upper chamber after more than 90% of voting stations have been counted.
It is expected to win 25 of the 165 seats in the lower house, tying with the Conservatives and trailing the Liberals.
In a complicated but crucial election in a country plagued by violence and rising poverty levels, about 39 million of Colombia’s 50 million people were eligible to vote.
