Bogota ¨C Colombians vote Sunday in a presidential election that will determine the conflict-ridden nation¡¯s response to spiraling violence, either staying left and opting for dialogue or tacking right towards all-out war.
The constitution forbids a second term for the country¡¯s first-ever leftist President Gustavo Petro, whose ¡°total peace¡± strategy has failed to negotiate an end to conflict with armed groups.
Despite his absence from the ballot, ¡°the campaign revolves around Petro,¡± said Yann Basset, political science professor at Bogota¡¯s University of Rosario. ¡°He¡¯s at the center of all the discussions.¡±
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