U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Colombia on holding a free and fair election and said he was looking forward to working with leftist Gustavo Petro, who has vowed profound social and economic change, on winning the presidency.
"I congratulate the people of Colombia for making their voices heard in a free and fair presidential election," said Blinken in a statement issued by the State Department.
"We look forward to working with President-Elect Petro to further strengthen the U.S.-Colombia relationship and move our nations toward a better future," he said.
(Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Tom Hogue)