Colombia's law-and-order president wins in landslide

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Law-and-order President Alvaro Uribe was re-elected in a landslide Sunday in Colombia's most peaceful elections in more than a decade, strengthening the U.S. ally's mandate to crack down on armed groups and drug traffickers.

The Harvard-educated Uribe's win marks the first time in more than a century that an incumbent Colombian leader has been elected to a second term and bucks a trend of leftist leaders taking office across South America in recent years.

With 96 percent of ballots counted, the conservative Uribe scored a stronger-than-expected 62 percent of the vote, according to official results. He easily surpassed the 50 percent needed to win in the first round and exceeded pre-election expectations.

In second place, with 22 percent of the votes, was Sen. Carlos Gaviria of the leftist Alternative Democratic Pole party. Gaviria's strong support — a record outcome for the left — confirms the growing strength of the democratic left in this decidedly conservative South American nation. In third place was Horacio Serpa, of the century-old Liberal Party, with just below 12 percent.

"We're very happy with the results," Gaviria told Caracol Radio Sunday night after recognizing his defeat. "For the first time in the country's history, the main opposition party will be comprised of the democratic left."

Sunday's vote took place amid relative calm — underscoring one big reason Colombians backed Uribe. He is credited for bringing down crime rates and violence, and with overseeing an economic surge.

His critics say Uribe has showed a lack of interest in social programs in a country with rampant poverty, and they fear his re-election will lead him to a strengthening of his alleged autocratic tendencies.

Recent years have seen left-leaning leaders take office in Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. But the election of the conservative Uribe bucks the leftward trend in South America.

Colombia remains the world's largest producer of cocaine. Uribe, a key ally in U.S. drug-interdiction efforts, is urging the United States to beef up an aerial-fumigation fleet of 20 planes that spray coca crops.