Colombians head to the polls to choose President Gustavo Petro’s successor

Polls have opened in the first round of Colombia’s presidential election, in which a left-wing lawmaker, an independent businessman and a right-wing senator are vying to succeed President Gustavo Petro .

Government-allied Senator Ivan Cepeda is currently leading in the polls. In Sunday’s election, he is angling to cross the 50-percent threshold in the vote tally to avoid a June run-off, which could allow the splintered right wing to consolidate around a single candidate.

Whether Cepeda prevails or not is likely to be a bellwether for the strength of Colombia’s political left.

In 2022, Petro became the first left-wing president in Colombia’s history to be elected, and Cepeda has pledged to continue the outgoing leader’s social reforms to combat poverty.

But scandal and questions about the efficacy of his policies have dented Petro’s popularity. For months, polls had suggested that Petro — who is term-limited — would be replaced by an ideological rival.

But Cepeda, a 63-year-old senator, has been gaining popularity. A poll earlier this month from the National Consulting Centre (CNC) showed him with 33.4 percent support, the most of any candidate.

His closest opponent is Abelardo de la Espriella, 47, a businessman who is promising to crack down on crime and armed groups by bolstering security operations and constructing megaprisons, echoing the policies of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele .

Until recently, Paloma Valencia, a senator backed by former President Alvaro Uribe, was the favoured right-wing candidate, but she is currently third in the polls. If elected, Valencia would be the country’s first female president.