Incumbent president Juan Manuel Santos and Democratic Center challenger Oscar Ivan Zuluaga are within the margin of error of each other in the first poll to be released after Colombia’s first round of presidential elections on May 25.
Colombia now faces a two candidate field after the results last Sunday failed to yield a winner with more than 50% of the vote and the second round is slated for 15 June. This latest poll, conducted by Cifras y Conceptos, was released on Tuesday.
U Party (Partido de la U – U) candidate Juan Manuel Santos (38%) and Democratic Center (Centro Democratico – CD) candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga (37%) are in a virtual tie, due to the 2.9% margin of error claimed by the poll.
The blank vote, which is a formal vote that contributes to neither candidates, stands at 15% according to the poll. The blank vote received 5.99% of the vote in the first round of elections last Sunday.
There were 10% of respondents who stated that they did not know who they would vote for in the second round.
Cifras y Conceptos also found Juan Manuel Santos to be leading among voters polled in the Caribbean region, eastern region, and the south of the country while his challenger possessed a strong lead in both the center of the country and in the coffee-growing axis. This pattern is similar to that found in the voting patterns of the first-round. The poll showed the two candidates neck and neck in the capital Bogota with a 3% difference between them.
Sources
- Empate técnico entre Santos y Zuluaga según encuesta Polimétrica (Caracol Radio)
