The southern Colombian department of Caqueta has elected German Medina Triviño to replace Governor Luis Francisco Cuellar, who was kidnapped and murdered by the FARC in December, reported Colombian media.
According to reports, Medina – who belongs to the Colombia’s Liberal Party – won almost 37,000 of the 246,500 votes cast. In second place was Carlos Orlando Cuellar Muñoz, with 28,500 votes.
The number of Caqueta residents who cast their ballots corresponded to just 28.8% of the department’s eligible voters, a low turnout which the authorities attribute to the threat of violence from the strong FARC presence in the area.
Voting officials said the election proceeded without incident.
The departments’ last governor, Cuellar, was kidnapped from his home by members of the guerrilla group on December 21, and found a day later with his throat slit.