Colombia elects new divided Congress

PRELIMINARY results in Colombia's legislative elections on Sunday showed President Gustavo Petro’ left-wing bloc maintaining its status as a dominant force, but with Congress continuing to be divided.

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The results offered a glimmer of hope that Petro’s party may contend against the resurgent right in the May 31 presidential vote, which is projected to head to a runoff in June.

Petro, Colombia' first leftist president, is barred by law from running for reelection and had been eying to push through reforms ahead of his term running out.

While the makeup of the lower chamber remained uncertain, Petro’s leftist coalition was expected to be among the biggest, while in the Senate it was expected to be the largest.

With Congress remaining to be divided, the next president will need to form coalitions to pass legislation.

Colombia's decades of brutal internecine fighting and the presence of still-powerful cocaine mafias have cast a long shadow over the campaign.

More than 60 political figures and community leaders were killed this election cycle, including a presidential candidate who was assassinated in broad daylight in the capital, Bogota.