Former Colombian defence minister Juan Manuel Santos easily won a first-round presidential vote yesterday that puts him in a strong position in a June runoff to succeed US ally President Alvaro Uribe.
Mr Santos, a Uribe supporter and scion of an elite family, won 47 per cent of the votes, well ahead of former Bogota mayor Antanas Mockus, who with 22 per cent became Mr Santos's rival for the June 20th second round, according to election results.
A staunch Washington ally, Mr Uribe steps down in August still popular after two terms dominated by his war against drug-trafficking rebels, and his pro-business approach that attracted foreign investment especially in oil and mining. He was barred by a constitutional court from seeking a third term.
The surprise showing by Mr Santos, who campaigned as the heir to Mr Uribe, will likely be applauded by Wall Street as an affirmation of Mr Uribe's security and economic policies. But his win may fuel tensions with neighbouring Venezuela where President Hugo Chavez brands Santos a threat.
"This is your victory President Uribe, and for all of us who want to defend your enormous legacy," Mr Santos told cheering crowds, dressed in a white shirt with his U Party logo.
A US- and British-trained economist, Mr Santos fell just short of the more than 50 per cent of votes needed to clinch outright victory. But his wide lead and political party machinery will give him a clear advantage over Mr Mockus.
Mr Santos, led early in the race, but Mr Mockus, the son of Lithuanian immigrants who is also an eccentric former university professor, had surged with a Green Party campaign against corruption and "politics as usual."
"We have a real chance with this second round to achieve a deep cultural change," Mr Mockus said to cheers of "Yes we can," at his Bogota headquarters, a slogan popularised during President Barack Obama's campaign.
Polls show Colombians now more concerned with joblessness, education and health care than waning guerrilla violence, and many became weary of the scandals over human rights and corruption that blemished Mr Uribe's second term.
Reuters