The bloodiest election campaign in Colombian history ended with a resounding victory for the governing party's Cesar Gaviria, who took the hardest line against drug traffickers of any major presidential candidate.
Gaviria, 43, told supporters in a nationally televised speech Sunday night that his victory represents a triumph for democracy in this violence-wracked country."To all those who have sought to threaten our democracy, listen closely. The people have spoken with courage and clarity, and we will triumph," he said before a cheering crowd at a Bogota hotel.
Gaviria praised Colombians for casting ballots in defiance of threats of terrorism from hired guns of the powerful cocaine cartels.
Millions of Colombians turned out to vote Sunday under the watchful eye of army sharpshooters and chose from among 12 presidential candidates who survived a campaign in which three candidates were assassinated.
The Caracol radio network estimated that just 45.5 percent of the 13 million eligible voters went to the polls. About 6 million votes were cast, compared with nearly 8 million in the 1986 presidential election.
Many people were apparently afraid to leave their homes because of the pre-election violence. In the two weeks preceding the election, police reported nine bomb attacks that killed 37 people and wounded about 350.
With 85 percent of the 7,100 precincts reporting, Gaviria of the Liberal Party had captured 2,488,687 votes, or 47 percent of the total, according to the national election office. His closest challenger, Alvaro Gomez of the independent National Salvation Movement, had 1,285,260 votes.
The country's only leftist candidate, former guerrilla Antonio Navarro, made an unexpectedly strong showing, with 674,829 votes, or 13 percent. The Conservative Party candidate, Rodrigo Lloreda was in fourth place with 636,209 votes, or 12 percent.
Gaviria had taken the hardest line against the drug traffickers of any of the four major candidates, opposing negotiations with them and supporting the continued extradition of accused drug lords to stand trial in the United States.
In his victory speech, Gaviria reiterated his campaign pledge to continue the war on the cocaine barons.
But he said Colombia cannot fight the drug war alone, calling on the United States and other developed nations to take steps to reduce demand for cocaine. He also called on the United States to drop trade barriers against legal Colombian exports.
Gaviria, an economist, will be the youngest president in Colombia's history. He became the Liberal Party nominee after the party's standardbearer, Luis Carlos Galan, was assassinated on Aug. 18 by drug traffickers.
Galan's slaying prompted President Virgilio Barco to declare war on the drug cartels and extradite some accused traffickers to the United States. Barco was constitutionally prohibited from weeking a second consecutive term.
In a nationally televised speech Sunday night, Barco said the election had struck a blow against the drug terrorists.
"The vote is a triumph of democracy over violence," said Barco, who was constitutionally prohibited from seeking a second consecutive four-year term.