This Sunday, Colombians head to the polls for the first round of presidential elections more divided than ever. We face the possibility of electing a leftist president for the first time in our history or a young right-wing candidate.
At the heart of this division is the peace accord with the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, guerrillas signed in 2016. Some people see the deal as a flawed good start to resolving the longest armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere, while others say it needs to be scrapped completely.
The rift is fed by the conflicting visions for the country between former president Álvaro Uribe and his successor, Juan Manuel Santos.
The right-wing candidate is Iván Duque, whose only experience is as a one-term senator. He has been endorsed by Uribe, the most popular leader Colombia has had in decades. His support has been his biggest asset but also his biggest weakness. Duque’s youth and relative lack of experience make him a target, with rivals pushing the perception that Uribe will be the one holding the real power to reverse Santos’s peace accord.
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