Colombians to vote in presidential run-off pitting leftist against hardliner

Colombians are heading to the polls to choose their next president in a run-off election, pitting a leftist heir to the country’s progressive government against a far-right outsider promising a crackdown on crime. The vote takes place on Sunday, when more than 41 million eligible voters will decide between lawmaker Ivan Cepeda and criminal defence lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella , after the pair emerged from a field of 11 candidates in a first-round vote on May 31. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list Both candidates are framing their campaigns around preventing a return to the kind of widespread violence – car bombings, kidnappings, disappearances – that has scarred Colombia in the past decades, though their proposed solutions sit at opposite ends of the political spectrum. De la Espriella is proposing a heavy-handed approach that has earned him the endorsement of United States President Donald Trump. The political newcomer, nicknamed “The Tiger”, has promised to fiercely go after criminals and build 10 mega-prisons, emulating the policies of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele that have lowered homicide rates but prompted accusations of human rights abuses. Cepeda is promising to continue President Gustavo Petro’s efforts, including attempts at establishing dialogue with multiple armed groups, even though those efforts have largely failed. …