Colombians Vote in Presidential Runoff
VOA News 20 June 2010
Colombians are voting Sunday in a runoff presidential election that pits former defense minister Juan Manuel Santos against former Bogota mayor Antanas Mockus.
The two candidates are vying to succeed President Alvaro Uribe, who steps down in August after eight years in office.
Santos won 47 percent of the vote in the first round of balloting last month, but fell just short of the simple majority needed to win in the field of nine candidates.
The 58-year-old economist has promised to build on the security gains of outgoing President Uribe, who remains popular, but was barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
Mr. Uribe's supporters have rallied around Santos, who is representing the conservative National Unity party and is favored to win the runoff.
Mockus, a mathematician and philosopher who represents Colombia's Green Party, has campaigned on a message of "clean politics."
Leftist rebels have been at war with the Colombian government for more than 45 years, but Mr. Uribe's government has made progress in battling the guerrillas in recent years.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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