Colombia's president slips behind rival in election polls

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos speaks during a Reuters interview in Villavicencio May 6, 2014. REUTERS/Jose Miguel Gomez

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos slipped behind his main rival, right wing Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, in two election polls on Thursday, raising the heat 10 days before a vote in which prior surveys appeared to assure the incumbent a second mandate.

A Gallup poll published by local media said Zuluaga would gain 29.3 percent of votes in the first round, a fraction ahead of 29 percent for Santos, but it gave Zuluaga a comfortable lead in a run-off vote of 42.5 percent versus 35.1 for Santos.