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Colombian Candidate Feared by Investors Leads Presidential Poll

Colombian Candidate Feared by Investors Leads Presidential Poll

Colombian senator Gustavo Petro, who wants to tax the rich and cut the economy’s dependence on fossil fuels, continues to command a wide lead over rivals ahead of the 2022 presidential election. 

The former guerrilla, who is popular among poorer Colombians and students while feared by many investors, is leading with 26% support ahead of the vote next May, in a poll carried out by Bogota-based researcher Datexco and published by W Radio. However, there are two candidates who would beat Petro in a runoff, the poll found. 

Sergio Fajardo, a former math professor who was mayor of Colombia’s second city, Medellin, was in 2nd place, with 10% of voting intentions, the poll found. He was followed by Rodolfo Hernandez, a former mayor of the provincial city of Bucaramanga in eastern Colombia, on 7%, former Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez and former Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria, who both had 6%, and ex-Senator Juan Manuel Galan, who had 5%.

In a runoff, Petro would beat all 10 candidates in the poll except for Fajardo and Galan, who are considered centrist candidates. 

The poll of 1,200 people was carried out Oct. 15-26 and has a margin of error of 2.9%. Colombia, a U.S. ally which has never had a leftist leader, holds presidential elections in May with a potential runoff in June. Petro made it to the runoff in the 2018 election, but lost to Ivan Duque, who is now president. The constitution bars Duque from seeking a second term.  

A March poll by Detaxco, which used a different methodology, also showed Petro with a wide lead. 

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