Colombia, May 31: Colombia’s former defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos of the ruling National Unity party received the most votes on Sunday’s presidential election, but not enough to avoid a runoff against his main rival Antanas Mockus of the Green party.
With more than 95 percent of the votes counted, Santos had 46.6 percent of the vote. Mockus was in a distant second place with 21.5%. Any candidate needs a majority in first round to win outright and avoid the June 20 runoff.
Santos, 58, a Harvard-educated economist and Uribe ally, has promised to continue the campaign against the Marxist rebels, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, and attract foreign investment.
Mockus, 58, a former Bogota mayor, has also promised to crack down on the FARC though he has also pledged to create more jobs.
Venezuelan leftist president Hugo Chavez threatened to shut down trade if Santos wins.
–IANS–