Colombia presidential runoff pits leftist senator against pro-Trump rival

Under President Petro's presidency, cocaine production hit a record high, membership of armed groups grew, and violence on the border surged to its worst level in years, displacing tens of thousands of people. This has led his critics and many security analysts to denounce "total peace" as a failed strategy, though Petro has argued his government has seized the largest amount of drugs in history.The economy has grown, and Petro increased the minimum wage significantly, though about one in three Colombians still live in poverty.Cepeda has pledged economic reforms if elected, including expanding welfare benefits and handing land to victims of internal conflict.EPAArmed guards were stationed at some polling centres across Colombia.De La Espriella is a lawyer and businessman who dubs himself "El Tigre", the tiger. He has heavily criticised Petro's negotiations with armed groups and advocated a tough military crackdown on crime, including closer co-operation with the United States, bombing cartels with US support, more powers for the military and possible mass trials.He has pledged to build 10 mega-prisons in the jungle in the style of El Salvador's hardline right-wing President Nayib Bukele who, many commentators have observed, De La Espriella has modelled his beard as well as some of his policies on. He has also said he would drastically shrink the state.De La Espriella has attracted controversy over some of his past clients: he was the lawyer to Alex Saab, a close ally of the US-ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro who was recently charged with money-laundering. He also defended the Colombian fraudster David Murcia Guzmán, who led a multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme. He has argued this is just part of his work as a defence lawyer, while critics have accused him of enriching himself by defending powerful criminals.The more moderate conservative senator Paloma Valencia came third behind Cepeda and De La Espriella, which puts De La Espriella in a strong position to potentially pick up some more conservative voters in the second round.