Colombia’s incumbent president Juan Manuel Santos has dropped 8 points in the race to be reelected president in this year’s elections according to a recently released poll.
Santos went from 31% to 23% whilst his main competitors all saw gains, according to a poll by Cifras & Conceptos.
While Santos is still ahead of his closest rivals, his aim of being reelected in the first round of the elections scheduled for May looks increasingly difficult and unlikely as the blank protest vote overtook Santos as leader in the race.
Furthermore the unpopularity of Santos has increased. In February 63% of respondents said they would not vote for Santos. That figure has now risen to 70% who are against his reelection.
The rival candidate who saw the biggest gains was the Green Alliance’s candidate, Enrique Peñalosa, a former Bogota mayor, who saw an increase of 4 points rising from 9% to 13%.
Meanwhile, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, the candidate of former President Alvaro Uribe’s Democratic Center party rose to 11% from 8%.
FACT SHEET: Colombia 2014 presidential election candidates
Although Santos was the only candidate to loose ground he remains well ahead of his rivals. What is of most significance therefore is the increase in the blank protest vote which is 3 points ahead of the incumbent president on 26%.
Where there to be a runoff with Peñalosa, the presidential candidate with most votes behind Santos, blank votes would take 39% of the vote, Santos, 26% and Peñalosa 19%.
This most recent poll suggests that it is unlikely any candidate will win in the first round of the election scheduled for May and the result will be decided in a second round runoff.