Duque, Petro to contest presidency of Colombia in runoff

BOGOTA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Ivan Duque, right-wing candidate for the Democratic Center Party, won the first round of the Colombian presidential election on Sunday, claiming 39.11 percent of the vote with 99.46 percent of votes tallied.

He was short of the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a second-round runoff and will face runner-up Gustavo Petro, of the left-wing, who finished with 25.10 percent of the vote.

The second round will take place on June 17.

All reports indicated that the day went peacefully, with no signs of the armed violence that has marred previous Colombian elections.