00:00Colombia's presidential election is set for a run-off on June 21st,
00:04after no candidate secured an outright majority in Sunday's vote.
00:08Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espritia finished in first place,
00:13followed closely by left-wing Senator Ivan Ceprida, a key ally of President Gustavo Petro.
00:21The two candidates offer sharply different visions for tackling Colombia's long-running internal conflict,
00:27which has resurged in recent years despite peace efforts.
00:30Official results showed Della Espritia winning 43.7% of the vote, ahead of Ceprida's 41%.
00:39Pre-election polls had projected Ceprida as the front-runner, making the result a surprise for many observers.
00:45Moderate Conservative candidate Paloma Valencia, who finished third with less than 7% of the vote,
00:51has since endorsed Della Espritia ahead of the run-off.
00:55The campaign has been marred by violence, including drone attacks, kidnappings, homicides
01:01and the assassination of a presidential candidate at a rally last year.
01:05The election is also being closely watched across Latin America,
01:08as a growing number of countries in the region have shifted towards conservative or right-wing governments in recent years.
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