BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombians emerging from the coronavirus pandemic were voting for their next president Sunday, choosing from six candidates who promise various degrees of change amid …
By ASTRID SUAREZ and REGINA GARCIA CANO
Behind him are a populist real estate tycoon promising monetary rewards for tips on corrupt officials and a right-wing candidate who has tried to distance himself from the widely disliked conservative current president, Iván Duque. This is the second presidential election in Colombia — Latin America’s third most populous country — since the government signed a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC. But the divisive agreement was not a central campaign issue as matters like poverty and corruption garnered more attention.
He has promised to make significant adjustments to the economy, including a tax reform, as well as changes to how Colombia fights drug cartels and other armed groups. His main rival for most of the campaign has been Federico Gutiérrez, a former mayor of Medellin who is backed by most of Colombia’s traditional parties and ran on a pro-business, economic growth platform.
The coronavirus pandemic set back the country’s anti-poverty efforts by at least a decade. Official figures showed that 39% of Colombia’s 51.6 million residents lived on less than $89 a month last year, which has a slight improvement from the 42.5% rate from 2020. In addition to economic challenges, Colombia’s next president will also have to face a complex security issue and corruption, which is a top concern of voters.