Former guerrilla Petro would win Colombia's presidency in runoff - poll

FILE PHOTO: Colombian left-wing presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, of the Pacto Historico (Historic Pact) coalition, speaks during an election debate at the Externado University in Bogota, Colombia March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Leftist presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla fighter promising to "democratize" Colombia's economy, is polling nearly double the support of his closest rival, center-right Federico Gutierrez, and would beat him in a runoff.

Petro, mayor of Bogota between 2012 and 2015, had 40% support while Gutierrez, the former mayor of Colombia's second biggest city Medellin, got 21% in the YanHaas poll released late on Tuesday ahead of the May 29 election.