Poll shows Colombian presidential hopefuls tied ahead of runoff

Record ID: 1675404

  • Title: Poll shows Colombian presidential hopefuls tied ahead of runoff
  • Date: 3rd June 2022
  • Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (JUNE 2, 2022) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) POLITICAL ANALYST, JAIRO LIBREROS, SAYING: “Those polls are done consciously and are coherent with what happened last Sunday (first round of Colombia’s presidential election) and what has been the preference in terms of votes for engineer Rodolfo Hernandez. During the last three weeks, percentage variations of voter intention prior to the elections and what we know after those elections are clear and convincing. Engineer Hernandez, is going to rise as much as necessary to win with complete peace of mind if the elections for the presidency of the republic were to take place tomorrow.”
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2022 12:05
  • Keywords: 2022 Presidential elections Colombia polls second round
  • Location: BOGOTA AND VALLEDUPAR, COLOMBIA
  • City: BOGOTA AND VALLEDUPAR, COLOMBIA
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: South America / Central America,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA004243702062022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS PROFANITY IN SHOT 8
    Colombia's leftist former guerrilla Gustavo Petro and construction magnate Rodolfo Hernandez have technically tied ahead of a second round of presidential elections, a poll showed on Wednesday (June 1).
    Petro, a former M-19 rebel and mayor of Bogota, won 40.3% of votes in Sunday's first-round on promises of social and economic change, including pension redistribution, free public university, and robust environmental policies.
    But his promises may resonate less with voters now his surprise rival is the anti-establishment Hernandez, 77, who has pledged to shrink government and use the savings to pay off student debt, cut the value-added tax nearly in half to 10% and combine subsidies into one basic income.
    Hernandez won 28.2% in Sunday's vote but is now backed by former center-right candidate Federico Gutierrez, who won 23.9%, and likely many of his followers.
    The survey, conducted for local media CM& by pollster Centro Nacional de Consultoria, shows the two men within the 2.8% margin of error.
    Hernandez would tally 41% of the vote, while Petro would win 39%. Some 14% of people did not respond or did not know, while 5% said they would hand in blank ballots, a common protest technique.
    The peso and the Colombian stock market initially reacted positively to the news Hernandez would go to the second round and potentially beat Petro.
    But the bounce may be short-lived, analysts said, because both candidates are unlikely to enact policies to lower the country's high debt level or improve trade conditions.
    The survey was conducted among 1,200 people between May 30 and 31.
    (Production: Javier Andres Rojas, Alfonso Duarte)
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