Polls close in Colombia as nation awaits first-round election results

Polls officially closed Sunday across Colombia, concluding the first round of a deeply polarized election to choose a successor to outgoing President Gustavo Petro.

The country's registrar, Hernan Penagos, said that all polling centers closed on time and that the day proceeded calmly.

"Millions of Colombians voted peacefully, turning out in large numbers to freely exercise their political rights," he said.

Polling stations had opened at 8 am to accommodate an eligible voting registry of roughly 41 million people.

With 10 candidates on the ballot, voters are navigating a very fractured political landscape. Because no single contender is projected to capture the absolute majority required to win outright, the race is widely expected to trigger a high-stakes runoff on June 21.

According to tracking polls, three frontrunners hold a viable path to securing a spot in the second round.

Ivan Cepeda, a senator running under the banner of the ruling Pacto Historico coalition, represents the ideological continuity for Petro's progressive base.

Abelardo de la Espriella, a flamboyant populist who represents Salvacion Nacional, has surged in popularity by tapping into anti-establishment outrage and promising an iron-fist approach to spiraling crime.

Paloma Valencia, backed by former President Alvaro Uribe’s Centro Democratico party, is balancing traditional conservative platforms with a socially moderate vice-presidential pick to capture centrist voters.

The electoral authority is expected to release preliminary bulletin results through the evening as the count progresses.