Colombia’s next leader: Three big personalities in the race

Colombia is choosing a new president this weekend, and three very different candidates are leading the polls. On one side stands Ivan Cepeda, a left-wing senator who has spent years fighting for peace and justice. His father, a senator too, was killed in the 1990s during a wave of violence against leftist leaders. Cepeda himself has lived in exile in several countries and helped create a peace deal that ended the war with FARC rebels. His opponents say he is too close to the group, but he keeps wearing simple clothes to show he rejects Colombia’s elite.Another candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella, calls himself “The Tiger. ” He is a wealthy lawyer who left a luxurious life in Italy to enter politics. He wants harsher measures against crime, like building giant prisons and teaming up with the U. S. and Israel. He has a tough way of speaking and has made controversial comments in the past. His supporters see him as a strong leader who can stop the country from falling into chaos. The third main contender is Paloma Valencia, a senator from a powerful political family. She admires former president Alvaro Uribe and wants to undo the peace deal with FARC. She also supports fracking and opposes LGBTQ rights. If she wins, she would be Colombia’s first female president. Her campaign promises a return to stricter security policies, much like Uribe’s time in office.