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President Juan Manuel Santos vowed to bring peace to Colombia after winning re-election on Sunday, saying his victory shows that voters demand an end to five decades of war.
Although no progressive, Mr Santos has nevertheless staked his reputation on securing peace with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and won almost 51 per cent support in the runoff election on Sunday.
His right-wing rival Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, who opposed any peace with the rebels, trailed with 45 per cent in an election seen as a referendum on President Santos’ negotiations.
Mr Zuluaga’s backers wanted to force the rebels into a battlefield surrender.
Santos opened talks with Farc in late 2012. The conflict has killed over 200,000 people and forced millions more from their homes.
Last week, he also revealed that he had started preliminary peace talks with the smaller National Liberation Army rebel group.