Almost 30 million Colombian nationals are expected to cast their ballot in the presidential runoff on Sunday, with former defense minister Juan Manuel Santos and ex-university rector Antanas Mockus facing each other in the poll.
In the first round, which took place on May 30, none of the nine candidates participating in the presidential election were able to clear the 50% threshold required to avoid the runoff. Santos gained 46.56% while Mockus secured the support of 21.5% of the electors' votes.
According to polls, over 61% of Colombians are prepared to vote for Santos while only 29.8% said they would support Santos.
The current superpopular head of state Alvaro Uribe, who has a 70% rating of approval, is barred by the constitution to run for the third term. However, the country's ex-defense minister Santos is widely seen as his successor.
Santos gained popularity for his successful fight against FARC, a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group established in 1960s. It is considered a terrorist organization by the Colombian government, the U.S. and the EU.
During his tenure as the defense minister the governmental troops dealt a series of blows against the leftist movement, killing about 50 top-ranking FARC members. Santos is also known for the non-violent rescue of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, held hostage since 2002.
Mockus, a son of Lithuanian immigrant and former mayor of the capital Bogota has long been known by Colombians for his extravagant behavior - he married in circus, sitting on top of an elephant, and publicly showered with his wife in a TV ad to promote water conservation.
While a university rector, he once dropped his trousers in auditorium to make students silent.
During his two terms as mayor of Bogota (in 1995-1998 and 2001-2004), he wore a spandex superhero suit to persuade residents to be "supercitizens" and got to the office by bicycle.
While in office, he also invaded city streets with mimes, who showed yellow and red cards, similar to those used in soccer, to unruly drivers.
According to his own statement, Mockus suffers from Parkinson's disease, but doctors say he will be able to live normal life for at least 12 years.
If elected, Mockus pledged to continue fight against various rebel groups, which have been active in the country for over 40 years. He is also set to tackle corruption and normalize strained relations with neighboring Venezuela and Ecuador.
Under the constitution, the country's president is elected for a four-year term and may be reelected only once. The new president is to take oath on August 7.
MOSCOW, June 20 (RIA Novosti)
