If Colombia’s elections were to be held tomorrow instead of May 25, President Juan Manuel Santos would be reelected in the first round, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
According to the poll of the Nacional Consultancy Center (Centro Nacional de Consultoria – CNC), 51% of polled voters said they would vote for the sitting president, which would guarantee Santos of an immediate victory without having to convoke a second round between the two top-tiers.
The candidate closest to the president in the race is Enrique Peñalosa, who would receive 12% of the votes in the event his party, the Green Alliance, nominates him.
Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, the candidate endorsed by former President Alvaro Uribe, would receive 9% of the votes, followed by Marta Lucia Ramirez (9%) and Clara Lopez (7%).
According to CNC, 10% of the polled voters said to cast a blank vote. This percentage is significantly lower than measured by other pollsters, who registered a 30% support for the blank vote.
CNC polls, conducted among 2,378 interviewees in 118 municipalities, traditionally show a higher support for sitting leaders than competing pollsters.