Colombia closes polls as presidential vote count begins; runoff likely

Colombians headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a successor to President Gustavo Petro, in an election that could lead to a runoff on June 21 if no candidate secures an outright majority. Voting stations opened at 8:00 AM local time and closed at 4:00 PM, with vote counting commencing immediately. The National Registry, responsible for organizing the elections, anticipates consolidated results within approximately two hours.

National Registrar Hernán Penagos reported that millions of Colombians voted peacefully and in large numbers, with over 122,000 polling stations active. He highlighted the democratic spirit of the elections, which proceeded without major incidents despite a campaign marked by political violence and guerrilla attacks in various parts of the country. More than 41 million citizens were eligible to vote, and high turnout in some areas suggests it could surpass the 54.9% seen in the 2022 first round.

Penagos urged voters to trust the electoral authority, explaining the vote counting and scrutiny process. This assurance comes as President Gustavo Petro has previously questioned the transparency of the electoral system. Pre-election polls indicated that left-wing Senator Iván Cepeda of the Pacto Histórico party, the same party as Petro, was the favorite. He was followed by far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defensores de la Patria movement and Uribista Senator Paloma Valencia of the right-wing Centro Democrático party. However, the surveys consistently suggested that none of the candidates would achieve the necessary majority to win in the first round, making a second round highly probable.