Colombian Presidential Election: Far-right Lawyer Faces Left-wing Senator

(Taipei, June 20, CNA) Colombia will elect a new president tomorrow, with voters choosing between a far-right lawyer backed by the White House and a left-wing senator. The outcome of this election will determine the fate of Colombia's bumpy peace process and its tense relationship with Washington.

According to Agence France-Presse, up to 41 million voters will choose between leading candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and his opponent Ivan Cepeda. This is the latest example of a series of highly polarized elections between the left and right in Latin America.

Security issues have dominated the election campaign. This comes after a series of bomb attacks and the daylight murder of a conservative presidential candidate in Bogota cast a shadow over the election.

De la Espriella, who holds dual U.S. and Colombian citizenship and calls himself "The Tiger," won the first round of voting in May. He promised a tough crackdown on drug-trafficking guerrilla groups that refuse to sign the 2016 peace agreement.

In an interview with Agence France-Presse, he stated that if elected, he hopes to receive U.S. support for a 90-day airstrike campaign against armed groups producing coca, the main ingredient in cocaine.

Cepeda, 63, is a senator and human rights defender, and a key figure in promoting negotiations with armed groups to achieve "total peace."

He is the son of a communist senator killed by right-wing paramilitary groups and the political successor to outgoing President Gustavo Petro, who is unable to run again due to constitutional limits. (Translator: Chen Yu-ting) 06211150

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