Colombia Presidential Election: Second Round Voting Concludes Peacefully

CARACAS, June 22. /TASS/. Voting in the second round of Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday took place in a peaceful and orderly atmosphere, concluding at 4 p.m. local time (9 p.m. GMT), according to authorities.

Far-right businessman and non-system politician Abelardo de la Espriella, who narrowly led candidate Ivan Cepeda of the ruling left-wing Historic Pact party in the first round, voted alongside his family in Barranquilla. "We must defeat tyranny <...> We will defeat this regime thanks to the enthusiasm of the Colombian people and with God’s help. Today Colombia wins, standing firm for the homeland," de la Espriella said after voting. He stressed that "today is the most important day in Colombia’s history, because our freedom and the future of our children are at stake."

Senator and candidate from the ruling left-wing Historic Pact party Ivan Cepeda voted at the San Lucas school in the south of Colombia’s capital Bogota. He arrived at the polling station accompanied by key political allies. On social media, Cepeda called on citizens to vote "for life" rather than for a "violent past," which he associates with his rival. "On June 21, our fate will be decided, so I ask you to vote for life, for rights, for peace, for the elimination of social injustice, and against a return to a past full of violence and lack of freedoms in Colombia," Cepeda wrote several hours before voting began.