Colombia’s president, challenger head to runoff

Published May 26, 2014 1:10am ET



BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Former Finance Minister Oscar Ivan Zuluaga finished first in the opening round of Colombia’s presidential election Sunday, delivering a blow to President Juan Manuel Santos’ re-election bid but failing to win the majority of votes needed to avoid a runoff ballot in three weeks against the incumbent.

With nearly all polling stations counted, Zuluaga had 29 percent of the votes, compared to 26 percent for Santos. Conservative Party candidate Marta Lucia Ramierz was in third of the five-candidate field with less than 16 percent.

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