By Luis Jaime Acosta
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombians will go to the polls on Sunday to elect members of congress and participate in one of three presidential primaries for candidates from right, left and centrist coalitions.
Seats in the country’s legislature of 108 senators and 187 lower house representatives have in recent elections been won by myriad parties, forcing presidents to build big tent coalitions in order to pass legislation.
Voters who participate in the primary for the right-wing coalition – ahead of a first round of presidential voting in May – will choose between five pre-candidates, including Federico Gutierrez, Alex Char and Enrique Penalosa, former mayors of Medellin, Barranquilla and Bogota, respectively.
A left-wing coalition will also ask supporters to pick from five candidates, though polls suggest that Gustavo Petro – a former mayor of Bogota who lost to current President Ivan Duque in 2018’s presidential election – will emerge victorious.
Mathematician Sergio Fajardo, also a former mayor and governor, is the favorite to win the nomination of a centrist coalition.
Duque’s right-wing Democratic Center party has already selected Oscar Ivan Zuluaga as its presidential candidate.
Residents of 167 municipalities in provinces like Arauca, Choco, Norte de Santander and Cauca, which have been most affected by the conflict will choose 16 representatives who are survivors.
Their seats – in place for two legislative terms – were agreed under a 2016 peace deal between the government and the now-demobilized FARC guerrillas.
Colombia’s conflict has left some 260,000 dead and displaced millions.
Authorities in the Andean country have promised to ensure voter safety and protect electoral technology from cyber-attacks.
(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
