WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Colombia's presidential election is heading to a runoff after Sunday's vote failed to produce a clear winner.
The right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a close ally of President Donald Trump, received the most votes - 43.7 percent - while the left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, an ally of the outgoing president Gustavo Petro, came second with 40.9 percent.
As none of the 13 candidates in the election fray could reach the threshold of 50 percent votes, the election will extend to a second round, to be held on June 21.
Gustavo Petro, who in 2022 became the first left-wing candidate to be elected president of Colombia since the country's independence, is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term.
Colombia saw one of the country's most competitive elections in recent years with issues such as crime, economic growth, peace talks, and relations with the United States dominating the election campaign, which was plagued with violence.
After the results came in, De La Espriella vowed to 'defeat tyranny, absolutism', in the runoff. The 47-year-old conservative politician, who holds a U.S. citizenship, said his lead in the first round reflects a 'triumph for those of us who have never experienced living off the state's teat.'
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