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| Colombian President Re-elected After a Race Challenging His Peace Negotiations | Colombian President Re-elected After a Race Challenging His Peace Negotiations |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Voters elected President Juan Manuel Santos to a second term on Sunday, giving him a chance to complete peace negotiations with rebel groups that could end decades of guerrilla war. | BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Voters elected President Juan Manuel Santos to a second term on Sunday, giving him a chance to complete peace negotiations with rebel groups that could end decades of guerrilla war. |
| But the strong challenge mounted by his more right-wing rival, Óscar Iván Zuluaga, a fierce critic of the peace effort, highlighted the distrust that many Colombians have for that process and the government’s ability to negotiate a fair accord. | But the strong challenge mounted by his more right-wing rival, Óscar Iván Zuluaga, a fierce critic of the peace effort, highlighted the distrust that many Colombians have for that process and the government’s ability to negotiate a fair accord. |
| Mr. Santos received 51 percent of the vote and Mr. Zuluaga 45 percent, according to election officials. | Mr. Santos received 51 percent of the vote and Mr. Zuluaga 45 percent, according to election officials. |
| “This is the moment of peace, the moment to end this long and bloody conflict,” Mr. Santos told a crowd of supporters. “Without the weight of the conflict on our heads, Colombia will be much greater.” | “This is the moment of peace, the moment to end this long and bloody conflict,” Mr. Santos told a crowd of supporters. “Without the weight of the conflict on our heads, Colombia will be much greater.” |
| Mr. Santos had a shiny dove pin on the lapel of his jacket. Like many of his supporters, he had the word “peace” written in black letters on the palm of one hand, which he frequently held up to the crowd. | Mr. Santos had a shiny dove pin on the lapel of his jacket. Like many of his supporters, he had the word “peace” written in black letters on the palm of one hand, which he frequently held up to the crowd. |
| Daniel Coronell, a columnist for the weekly newsmagazine Semana, said, “The majority of people voted not for Santos but for the peace process that Santos represents.” He said Mr. Santos would begin his second term facing a fortified opposition, adding: “Santos will have a weaker government to face big challenges. The first of them is the implementation of post-conflict policies if he reaches success in the peace process.” | Daniel Coronell, a columnist for the weekly newsmagazine Semana, said, “The majority of people voted not for Santos but for the peace process that Santos represents.” He said Mr. Santos would begin his second term facing a fortified opposition, adding: “Santos will have a weaker government to face big challenges. The first of them is the implementation of post-conflict policies if he reaches success in the peace process.” |
| Colombia is the United States’ closest ally in South America and has received billions in aid over the last decade to combat guerrilla groups and drug traffickers who produce cocaine and other narcotics sold on American streets. | Colombia is the United States’ closest ally in South America and has received billions in aid over the last decade to combat guerrilla groups and drug traffickers who produce cocaine and other narcotics sold on American streets. |
| Mr. Santos’s victory came after an exceptionally bitter campaign between two members of the country’s right-of-center political establishment, in which both sides traded accusations of dirty tricks, including spying, hacked emails and the use of drug money. | Mr. Santos’s victory came after an exceptionally bitter campaign between two members of the country’s right-of-center political establishment, in which both sides traded accusations of dirty tricks, including spying, hacked emails and the use of drug money. |
| Mr. Santos, 62, cast himself as the peace candidate and made the negotiations with the country’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the centerpiece of his campaign. | Mr. Santos, 62, cast himself as the peace candidate and made the negotiations with the country’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the centerpiece of his campaign. |
| In the last week of the race, Mr. Santos announced that he had begun preliminary talks with a second, smaller guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN, offering the prospect of a comprehensive peace that could, if successful, end decades of jungle battles, bomb attacks, kidnappings and political killings. Despite Sunday’s optimistic tone, the talks with FARC have dragged on for more than 18 months. | In the last week of the race, Mr. Santos announced that he had begun preliminary talks with a second, smaller guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN, offering the prospect of a comprehensive peace that could, if successful, end decades of jungle battles, bomb attacks, kidnappings and political killings. Despite Sunday’s optimistic tone, the talks with FARC have dragged on for more than 18 months. |
| Mr. Zuluaga and his backers charged that Mr. Santos was willing to give away too much to achieve peace, and they warned that guerrilla leaders could skip jail time or other punishment for their activities. | Mr. Zuluaga and his backers charged that Mr. Santos was willing to give away too much to achieve peace, and they warned that guerrilla leaders could skip jail time or other punishment for their activities. |
| Mr. Zuluaga, 55, was supported by former President Álvaro Uribe, Mr. Santos’s predecessor and a political powerhouse who retains a strong base of support. Mr. Uribe once backed Mr. Santos, but the two split after Mr. Santos was elected. Mr. Uribe became one of the most vocal critics of Mr. Santos’s efforts to strike a peace deal. | Mr. Zuluaga, 55, was supported by former President Álvaro Uribe, Mr. Santos’s predecessor and a political powerhouse who retains a strong base of support. Mr. Uribe once backed Mr. Santos, but the two split after Mr. Santos was elected. Mr. Uribe became one of the most vocal critics of Mr. Santos’s efforts to strike a peace deal. |
| Mr. Santos had warned that Mr. Zuluaga would be a puppet of Mr. Uribe, who was recently elected to a Senate seat. | Mr. Santos had warned that Mr. Zuluaga would be a puppet of Mr. Uribe, who was recently elected to a Senate seat. |
| The campaign was something of a role reversal for Mr. Santos, who had been Mr. Uribe’s defense minister. When he ran four years ago, Mr. Santos was the candidate who vowed to be tough on the guerrillas and to carry on Mr. Uribe’s legacy. | The campaign was something of a role reversal for Mr. Santos, who had been Mr. Uribe’s defense minister. When he ran four years ago, Mr. Santos was the candidate who vowed to be tough on the guerrillas and to carry on Mr. Uribe’s legacy. |
| Mr. Santos, who studied at Harvard and the University of Kansas, had seemed likely to cruise to a second term, not least because the economy had grown steadily, including at a rate of 4.3 percent last year. | Mr. Santos, who studied at Harvard and the University of Kansas, had seemed likely to cruise to a second term, not least because the economy had grown steadily, including at a rate of 4.3 percent last year. |
| But he received a scare in the first round of voting last month: Mr. Zuluaga came in first and Mr. Santos ran second in a field of five candidates. Because no one received more than 50 percent of the vote, the election was decided in Sunday’s runoff. | But he received a scare in the first round of voting last month: Mr. Zuluaga came in first and Mr. Santos ran second in a field of five candidates. Because no one received more than 50 percent of the vote, the election was decided in Sunday’s runoff. |
| After the first round, many left-wing politicians supported Mr. Santos, backing his peace effort and hoping to block a return to power by Mr. Uribe’s faction. In his speech, Mr. Santos said their support had been decisive. | |
| For all the focus on the peace process, though, voters often identified other issues as being of greater concern, including crime, unemployment and health care. | For all the focus on the peace process, though, voters often identified other issues as being of greater concern, including crime, unemployment and health care. |
| In many respects there was little to differentiate the candidates. Both served in Mr. Uribe’s cabinet, Mr. Zuluaga as finance minister. Both came from the country’s powerful political establishment and promoted pro-business policies. Mr. Zuluaga, however, is further to the right than Mr. Santos. He is associated with rural landowners, while Mr. Santos’s base is more urban. | In many respects there was little to differentiate the candidates. Both served in Mr. Uribe’s cabinet, Mr. Zuluaga as finance minister. Both came from the country’s powerful political establishment and promoted pro-business policies. Mr. Zuluaga, however, is further to the right than Mr. Santos. He is associated with rural landowners, while Mr. Santos’s base is more urban. |
| “I voted for peace,” said Gloria Abril, 65, a retired public employee, after voting for Mr. Santos in the working-class Santa Fe neighborhood of Bogotá. “People are very aware that we need a rest from so many problems.” | “I voted for peace,” said Gloria Abril, 65, a retired public employee, after voting for Mr. Santos in the working-class Santa Fe neighborhood of Bogotá. “People are very aware that we need a rest from so many problems.” |
| Ms. Abril was born a year after the 1948 assassination of the political leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, which set off a wave of violence that eventually spawned the rebel groups that continue to fight in Colombia today. | Ms. Abril was born a year after the 1948 assassination of the political leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, which set off a wave of violence that eventually spawned the rebel groups that continue to fight in Colombia today. |
| “I was born during wartime, but I’m not going to die during wartime,” she said, predicting that Mr. Santos would be able to achieve peace. | “I was born during wartime, but I’m not going to die during wartime,” she said, predicting that Mr. Santos would be able to achieve peace. |