Ivan Duque is the new President of Colombia, winning Sunday's election with fifty-three percent of the vote in the South American country. </s> Conservative Ivan Duque has won Colombia's presidential election, the first since a landmark peace deal that brought an end to more than 50 years of conflict.

With nearly all the votes counted, Duque secured 54 percent on Sunday, comfortably ahead of his leftist rival Gustavo Petro, at 42 percent.

About four percent of the voters submitted spoiled ballots, according to electoral officials.

In the capital, Bogota, enthusiastic Duque supporters honked car horns even before final results were announced.

Polls opened at 13:00 GMT and closed at 21:00 GMT after a day of peaceful voting.

In May's first round, Duque came first with nearly 40 percent of the vote, while Petro received 25 percent.

The second round of voting was seen by some as a referendum on the controversial peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016.

Duque, 41, vowed to overhaul the pact while Petro, a 58-year-old one-time rebel with the now defunct M-19, supported the fragile peace process.

He also warned that leftist rule could turn traditionally conservative Colombia - Latin America's fourth-biggest economy - into a new Venezuela, the crisis-hit neighbouring country led by socialist Nicolas Maduro.

He is supported by former President Alvaro Uribe, one of the peace accord's fiercest critics for its perceived soft judicial treatment of "FARC terrorists".

For his part, Petro - a former Bogota mayor - pledged to take on political elites, redistribute land to the poor and gradually eliminate the need for oil and coal in

Duque will succeed President Juan Manuel Santos, whose efforts to end the war with the FARC which killed 220,000 people and displaced nearly seven million brought him the Nobel Peace Prize.

Duque's victory means he will be Colombia's youngest president since 1872. His swearing-in ceremony will take place in August. </s> Colombia's Presidential Election Moves To A 2nd Round Pitting Right Against Left

Colombia on Sunday held its first presidential election since a landmark peace accord ended a 50-year-old guerrilla war. The battle to lead the country now goes to a runoff next between two ideological opposites and the race is expected to be contentious.

Right-wing candidate Ivan Duque, a former senator, took first place, and will run against leftist Gustavo Petro, a former mayor of Bogota and a one-time rebel. Of the 19 million votes cast, Duque won 39 percent — missing the 50 percent mark needed to avoid a runoff. Petro received 25 percent.

Third-place finisher Sergio Fajardo, got nearly 24 percent of the vote, and his portion is likely to be decisive in the runoff. He has not indicated which candidate he will support.

Duque has had the support of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who is constitutionally barred from running for a third term. Uribe is immensely popular for ordering devastating military attacks on Colombia's guerrilla groups during his two terms in office.

NPR's John Otis in Bogota reports that, "With Uribe's support, Duque shot to the top of the polls. Critics fear that Duque could become a kind of puppet president with Uribe pulling the strings. But Duque insists he's his own man."

Second-place finisher Petro and his populist "Humane Colombia" platform have drawn comparisons from critics to the late Venezuelan socialist leader Hugo Chavez, who Petro once admired.

The Associated Press reports: Petro describes himself as a "strong adversary" of the neighboring country's current president, Nicolas Maduro, but his early ties to Chavez have dogged him throughout the campaign.

Whoever wins the runoff and becomes president will have a big say in the future of the peace agreement. The accord ended a war that killed 220,000 people and has vastly reduced violence. Petro supports the peace treaty but Duque has promised to rewrite it.

John Otis reports, "Duque claims that it's too lenient on former rebel fighters. For example, those accused of war crimes can avoid prison. And Duque's supporters can't stomach the fact that the treaty has given 10 former guerrillas seats in Colombia's congress."

Ramiro Bejarano, a columnist for El Espectador newspaper, tells The Associated Press that "Duque's 14-point advantage will be hard to surmount for Petro, whose main challenge is to convince voters he won't convert Colombia into another Venezuela."

While most polls have Duque the favorite to win the June 17 runoff, Petro shouldn't be counted out. </s> BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - The Latest on Colombia's presidential election (all times local):

Polls have opened for Colombia's presidential election, where voters are choosing between a young conservative lawmaker and a former leftist guerrilla as the nation implements a historic peace accord.

FILE - In this June 10, 2018 file photo, a girl holds a poster of former President Alvaro Uribe, left, and Ivan Duque, current presidential candidate with the Democratic Center party, during a campaign rally in Armenia, Colombia. Duque, a former senator and Uribe's protege, will face Gustavo Petro, a former leftist rebel and ex-Bogota mayor, in a run-off election on Sunday. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, FILE)

Colombians began gathering outside polling centers early Sunday to cast their ballots in a tense runoff between Ivan Duque and Gustavo Petro.

The vote comes at a crucial moment: A still-fragile peace deal with leftist rebels is being implementing and coca production is soaring.

The two candidates have presented starkly different views on Colombia's economic model and whether changes should be made to the peace accord. </s> BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - The Latest on Colombia's presidential election (all times local):

Polls in Colombia have closed in a first round of voting for president that drew millions of people to the ballot box.

Voters now await the results in a polarizing contest that pit candidates for and against the nation's peace process against one another.

The race is the first in Colombia's recent history in which candidates rallied voters on issues like the economy instead of how to defeat leftist rebels.

Rebels with the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia signed a contentious peace accord with the government in 2016.

Front-runner conservative Ivan Duque is pledging to make "corrections" to aspects of the accord including to amnesty terms for former guerrillas.

He would need more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off election in June.

For decades, Colombians voted with an eye on the bloody conflict with leftist rebels that dominated their country and politics.

But on Sunday they were casting their ballots in the first presidential election since the signing of a peace accord with the nation's biggest rebel group to end the conflict and were weighing issues like corruption, inequality, crime and relations with their crisis-plagued neighbor Venezuela.

The two leading candidates have presented dramatically different visions for both Colombia's economic model and the future of its divisive peace process in a polarizing campaign driven by a wave of anti-establishment sentiment.

Leading the polls is conservative former senator Ivan Duque, the protege of former President Alvaro Uribe, the chief critic of the peace deal, but surveys suggest he is unlikely to get the more than 50 percent of votes required to avoid a June runoff. He's being chased by Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla and ex-Bogota mayor, whose rise has triggered business concerns he would push Colombia toward the left and rattle markets. </s> Bogota, Aug 8 (IANS) Ivan Duque has been swon in as the Colombian President in a ceremony held on the Plaza de Bolivar here.

The Conservative political newcomer, who at 42 is the youngest Colombian President ever, was elected in June after a divisive election campaign where he saw off left-wing rival Gustavo Petro, BBC reported.

After taking his oath, Duque, who succeeds two-term President Juan Manuel Santos, administered the oath of office to his Vice President, Marta Lucia Ramirez, the first woman in Colombia’s history to take that office.

In his inaugural address on Tuesday, the former lawyer pledged to tackle corruption and invigorate the economy and said that he wants to overcome the ideological divisions and the social fragmentation existing in the country.

“I want to govern Colombia with unbreakable values and principles, overcoming with popular dialogue, the divisions of the left and the right and the prickly feelings that invite social fracture. I want to govern Colombia with a spirit to build, never to destroy,” President Duque said.

He also vowed to change the peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) rebel group.

His political platform is considered business-friendly after he pledged to cut taxes and boost investment in Colombia’s economy.

The new President assumes power at a time of heightened tension with neighbour Venezuela. Earlier this week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the outgoing Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos of an assassination attempt at a military event in Caracas.

The allegation was described as “baseless” by Bogota. </s> BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Colombia's presidential election on May 27 is the first since the government signed a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia leading to the disarmament of some 7,000 fighters. Five candidates are running and if none gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will head to a runoff in June. Here's a glance at who's running and what's at stake:

Polls indicate that the two leading candidates are Gustavo Petro, a leftist running on an anti-establishment platform, and Ivan Duque, a conservative lawyer and former senator who has promised to change some provisions of the 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Duque has aligned himself with U.S. drug policy, promising to resume a controversial program of spraying coca fields with herbicide that President Juan Manuel Santos ended over health concerns. A former bureaucrat at the Inter-American Development Bank, Duque lived in the U.S. for more than a decade. He promises to stimulate the economy by decreasing taxes on businesses and boosting oil production. His critics point out that the 41-year-old has almost no managerial experience.

Petro was a member of the disbanded M-19 guerrilla movement in his youth and later was elected to the Senate, where he led corruption investigations into the links between right-wing paramilitary groups and regional political dynasties. He also served as mayor of Bogota, but was removed in what he says were politically motivated disciplinary actions related to his overhaul of the city's garbage collection system. Petro's critics accuse him of being a populist, pointing to his past support for Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez.

Besides Petro and Duque, ex-Vice President German Vargas and ex-Medellin Mayor Sergio Fajardo are also running as centrists hoping to beat one of the front-runners and force a runoff. Both candidates promise to implement market friendly economic policies. Trailing farther behind in the polls is Humberto de la Calle, who was the government's chief negotiator in the peace talks.

Colombia's next president will have to oversee the implementation of the peace deal, ensuring that former guerrilla fighters are able to participate in politics and integrate into civilian life. That is already proving to be a challenge as some former FARC fighters have formed dissident groups or joined criminal gangs that are sowing violence in remote areas.

Colombia's next president will also have to build up the state presence in areas where drug trafficking gangs exert power over farmers and local governments. President Donald Trump has threatened to decertify Colombia as a partner in the war on drugs as coca cultivation has doubled since 2012 and now exceeds 188,000 hectares, according to U.S. estimates

The incoming president will also have to decide if he wants to continue ongoing peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a smaller guerrilla group that is still active in some parts of the country. And the arrival of more than 1 million Venezuelan migrants in the past two years has strained public resources and fueled resentments in Colombia.

Colombia is Latin America's third most populated country, after Brazil and Mexico, and is one of the world's largest exporters of flowers and coffee, though its economy relies largely on oil and mining. It is also Washington's staunchest ally in South America. Despite great strides made in security, it continues to be the world's top cocaine producer. </s> BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The Latest on Colombia's presidential election (all times local):

Polls have opened for Colombia's presidential election, where voters are choosing between a young conservative lawmaker and a former leftist guerrilla as the nation implements a historic peace accord.

Colombians began gathering outside polling centers early Sunday to cast their ballots in a tense runoff between Ivan Duque and Gustavo Petro.

The vote comes at a crucial moment: A still-fragile peace deal with leftist rebels is being implementing and coca production is soaring.

The two candidates have presented starkly different views on Colombia's economic model and whether changes should be made to the peace accord. </s> Colombia has chosen Iván Duque, a conservative neophyte, to be its next president after a long and divisive campaign that often centred on a controversial peace process with leftist rebels the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

Duque, who opposes the peace deal, won in a second round runoff election on Sunday with 53.9% of the vote. His vanquished opponent, Bogotá’s former mayor Gustavo Petro – once a leftist militant himself – defends the peace process.

Despite being the first leftist in the conservative country’s history to come so close to the presidency, he lost on the night, taking 41.8% of the vote.

Many now worry about the fate of the fragile peace deal signed with the Farc in 2016, which formally ended 52 years of civil war that left 220,000 dead and seven million displaced.

That deal initially failed to pass a referendum with voters outraged by its guarantees of softer sentencing for rebel leaders and guaranteed seats in congress. It was later amended and ratified by lawmakers, a move some viewed as undemocratic. Sunday gave them another chance to voice their disquiet.

Farc’s wartime leader, Rodrigo Londoño, tweeted after the result: “We have lived the quietest elections of the last decades, the peace process bears fruit. It is a moment of greatness and reconciliation, we respect the decision of the majorities and we congratulate the new president. Now to work, the roads of hope are open.”

Duque promised on the campaign trail to modify the deal’s most contentious components, something that resonated with voters.

On a clear Sunday morning in Bogotá’s central Ciudad Jardín neighbourhood, voters filed into a school repurposed as a voting station when polls opened at 8am. “I am voting for Ívan Duque,” said Marcelo Rodríguez, dressed in a Colombian football shirt. “I want peace but we can’t have it without justice.”

Others at the poll station were less convinced. “Amending a deal is the same as tearing it up,” said Andrea Gómez, a student. “Some people in Colombia won’t be happy without war.”

Duque – who will turn 42 just before taking office on 8 August – will be Colombia’s youngest ever president, though his party, Democratic Center, has a coalition in Congress. He also has the backing of several industry leaders and, perhaps most importantly, ex-president Alvaro Uribe, still an immensely powerful – if divisive – figure in Colombian politics.

Uribe, who dealt severe military blows to the Farc during his tenure from 2002 to 2010, led the campaign against the peace deal in 2016’s referendum. He was Duque’s earliest champion for president, having persuaded his protege to leave a job at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington DC to fill a party senate seat in 2014.

Duque’s opponents say is little more to than Uribe’s puppet, a charge particularly worrying given the hardline svengali’s authoritarian tendencies.

While president, a state intelligence agency was shut down after Uribe used it to spy on the opposition, journalists and members of the supreme court. His military campaign against the rebels was marked by grave human rights abuses: thousands of civilians were murdered in order to falsely inflate combat statistics.

Both men denied the charge, and accused Petro of being the real threat to democracy. Uribe, after voting in Bogotá’s historic Plaza de Bolívar, said that Duque was the only bulwark against Petro’s “destructive socialism” – the same force he said has mired neighbouring Venezuela in economic and political turmoil.

Petro was reluctant on the campaign trail to distance himself from Venezuela’s late president Hugo Chávez, and with 1 million Venezuelans having fled to Colombia, many here worry that Petro could bring a similar fate.

Duque’s market-friendly economic policies appealed to voters near the Venezuelan border, though younger and more moderate voters worry about his conservative social policies from drug policy and crime to abortion.

The campaign was long and ugly, with stark polarisation revealed in the first round when Duque and Petro eliminated a handful of more moderate rivals. Now, Duque’s job will be build bridges between Colombians divided on ideology and the peace process, with the worst outcome being another flare up of civil war.

“Polarisation is common in politics around the world,” Pedro Piedrahita Bustamente, a political science professor at the University of Medellín previously told the Guardian. “But here, where there is a history of internal armed conflict, it could be a dangerous thing.”
Iván Duque wins the second round presidential election to become the new President of Colombia.