Progressivist candidate Gustavo Petro remained in the lead in the polls for the Bogota mayoral election, while independent candidate Gina Parody continued to climb the polls to tie Green Party candidate Enrique Peñalosa.
In the latest poll from Datexco, Petro assumed the lead, earning 25.8% of respondents’ votes. Although previous surveys from the five major polls (CNC, Gallup, Datexco, Cifras y Conceptos, and Napoleon Franco) showed Petro in first place, Datexco stood alone having Peñalosa in the lead with Petro in second and Parody in third on October 7.
In Datexco’s new poll, Peñalosa came in third behind Parody, with 18.4% to Parody’s 19.8%. The surveys 2.8% margin of error places the two candidates in a statistical tie.
Just under 6% of those polled said that they were still undecided. About 6.4% said they would not vote for any of the nine candidates running for the Mayor’s Office.
The survey also asked respondents whether or not the candidates had a favorable image. According to the results, just under half of the voters polled think front-runner Petro has a favorable image. Parody was the most favorable of the leading candidates, with 56.7%, while Peñalosa had the least favorable image of the top three, with 47.2%.
Interestingly, fourth place Cambio Radical candidate Carlos Fernando Galan had the most favorable image, with 69.9%, while only 13% of respondents planned to vote for him.
Colombia’s local elections take place Sunday, October 30. The Bogota mayor’s seat is considered one of the most powerful political positions in the country.