Violence overshadows presidential election in Colombia

The election campaign has recently been increasingly overshadowed by the security situation. Before the vote, there were several attacks in which civilians, soldiers and police officers were killed or injured. Colombia is currently experiencing "one of the worst waves of violence in recent years", said the head of the Colombia office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), Kristin Wesemann. According to the newspaper "El Tiempo", the elections are being monitored and secured by more than 400,000 soldiers and police throughout the country.

Candidates from the left and right

A total of 14 candidates are running, but according to current polls there are three clear favorites. These include the left-wing senator Iván Cepeda from the government camp, the conservative senator Paloma Valencia from the circle of former President Álvaro Uribe and the right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella. If none of the candidates achieve an absolute majority, there will be a run-off election on June 21, which polls currently predict.

The parliamentary elections at the beginning of March already revealed a highly polarized country. Although Petro's left-wing alliance "Pacto Histórico" became the strongest force in the Senate, no party achieved a clear majority. The future president is therefore likely to have to rely on difficult coalition negotiations. The first preliminary results are expected on Monday night German time.