“We are confident that the second round will be conducted with the same level of integrity,” he added.
Leftist Gustavo Petro, a senator and former guerrilla, won the first round on Sunday with 40.32% of the vote, and will face businessman Rodolfo Hernández on June 19, a millionaire outsider who surprisingly came in second with 28 .5%, surpassing the candidates of the ruling party and the center.
A week ago, the United States Department of State expressed its confidence in the democratic institutions in Colombia prior to the elections, amid tensions in a country marked by decades of political violence.
Death threats, as well as mistrust in the electoral system and an uptick in violence in remote areas heated up the atmosphere in the final stretch of the campaign.
On Tuesday, the Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (EOM/OAS) applauded that the first-round vote in Colombia was generally calm.
“The Mission celebrates that in most of the territory the day has taken place peacefully and highlights the increase in electoral participation in relation to the legislative elections in March, as well as with respect to the last two presidential elections,” he said in a statement. release.
54.91% of Colombians eligible to vote went to the polls on Sunday, according to data from the National Registry of Civil Status.
