Colombia votes in first presidential poll since Farc deal

Voting has begun in Colombia's first presidential election since the government signed a peace agreement with the Farc rebel group in 2016.

Incumbent Juan Manuel Santos cannot stand again, after serving two terms.

The main contenders are conservative Ivan Duque, who has opposed the peace deal, and left-winger Gustavo Petro, an ex-guerrilla and former Bogota mayor.

Polls suggest that neither will win 50% of the vote on Sunday and they will face each other in a run-off in June.

President Santos, a centre-right politician, sought to end the decades-long conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the country's main guerrilla group.

The peace deal he signed in 2016 was reached after years of negotiations. But it was regarded as too lenient by many voters and rejected in a referendum.

A revised accord was approved by Congress later that year.

Mr Duque, who is leading in opinion polls, has promised to reverse some of the provisions of the deal if he becomes president.

He is an ally of former President Alvaro Uribe, who led the campaign against the agreement.

Mr Petro, who backs the deal, would be Colombia's first-ever left-wing president if he is elected.

In the 1980s he was a member of the M-19 rebel group, which disbanded itself in 1990 to become a political party.

Correspondents say that with the main civil conflict over, voters are much more worried about economic issues.

The candidates have mainly campaigned on issues such as inequality, unemployment, housing and corruption.

Also standing in the election are:

Sergio Fajardo, a left-leaning former mayor of the city of MedellinGerman Vargas Lleras, a former housing ministerHumberto de la Calle, a government peace negotiator

About 100 international observers are monitoring the elections.