March 27, 2006

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Scan) - Álvaro Uribe remains the top presidential contender in Colombia, according to a poll by Invamer Gallup. 64.1 per cent of respondents would support the incumbent in this year's election.

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Álvaro Uribe remains the top presidential contender in Colombia, according to a poll by Invamer Gallup. 64.1 per cent of respondents would support the incumbent in this year's election.

Organization of American States (OAS) ambassador Horacio Serpa of the Liberal Party (PL) is second with 19.6 per cent, followed by former Constitutional Court president Carlos Gaviria of the Democratic Independent Pole (PDI) with 9.9 per cent.

Uribe took office in August 2002, after winning the presidential election as a semi-independent candidate under the Colombia First (PC) banner with 53.1 per cent of all cast ballots. A constitutional amendment has allowed the head of state—who had been a member of the PL—to run for re-election.

Yesterday, Uribe said Colombia should not choose between ending the armed struggle and boosting domestic investment, saying, "What the country needs is to approach security policies and social policies hand in hand." The president's statement came a day after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) freed two police officers who had been kidnapped in November 2005.

The presidential election is scheduled for May 28. A candidate must receive more than 50 per cent of all cast ballots to avoid a second round.

Polling Data

Who would you vote for in the 2006 presidential election?

	Mar. 2006	Dec. 2005	Jul. 2005
Álvaro Uribe	64.1%	66.5%	72.2%
Horacio Serpa (PLC)	19.6%	13.9%	12.7%
Carlos Gaviria (PDI) (*)	9.9%	5.0%	7.2%

(*) July and December polls featured Antonio Navarro Wolf as the PDI candidate.

Source: Invamer Gallup
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,200 Colombian adults, conducted from Mar. 16 to Mar. 20, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.