President Alvaro Uribe congratulated Juan Manuel Santos on his election victory, saying that he “asked God for every success” for the newly elected leader and his government, according to the website of the presidency.
Partido de la U candidate Santos won 68.93%, with 98.36% of votes counted, giving him an unassailable lead over his rival, Antanas Mockus.
Uribe comended Anatanas Mockus on a successful campaign that forced a second round run-off with Santos, while expressing sadness over the members of the armed forces who were killed on voting day.
Santos is set to give his acceptance speech at the Coliseo El Campin in the west of Bogota, where thousands of Partido de la U supporters are already waving flags and banners in a festive scene that includes traditional Colombian dancers from different regions of the Andean nation.
The European Commission also congratulated Santos, expressing its commitment to working with the new government to strengthen ties between the European Union and Colombia over the coming years.
E.C. President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso commended the elections for their “atmosphere of serenity and normalcy, which emphasizes the strength and stability of democracy and institutions in Colombia.”
Brazilian President, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, sent a letter to Santos welcoming the success of the Partido de la U candidate and hopes to have “friendship and cooperation” with the incoming government.
Former presidential candidate, Gustavo Petro said that the result was “predictable” as Antanas Mockus was not able to build a coalition that could challenge the successful Santos campaign.
“The result was expected, the increase of abstention proves that part of the Colombian population disagrees with the project that will govern Colombia over the next four years,” Petro said.
