Former rebel leads in Colombia election with runoff likely

Gustavo Petro (Fernando Vergara/AP)

The early vote count in Sunday’s six-way presidential election in Colombia pointed toward a runoff in June, with leftist former rebel Gustavo Petro leading in a ballot held amid growing discontent over increasing inequality and inflation.

Mr Petro, a senator and front-runner throughout the campaign, had just under 41% of votes and was trailed by Rodolfo Hernandez, who had 28%, with two-thirds of ballots tallied, election authorities said on Sunday evening.