Ingrid Betancourt resigns from the presidential candidacy and joins the campaign of Rodolfo Hernández

Ingrid Betancourt exposes plan to end the armed conflict in Colombia 2:26

(CNN) --

Colombia's presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt, says she will end her presidential bid on Friday, less than ten days before the first round of the presidential election, scheduled for Sunday, May 29.

Betancourt made the announcement on Instagram, saying that he had decided to resign so as not to split the vote for a centrist candidate, and hoping that Rodolfo Hernández could make it to the second round of the election.

I join the presidential campaign of @ingrodolfohdez!

This decision is to offer Colombia a different option that defeats the corrupt and the machinery.

Together we will overcome fear, hate, polarization;

together, we will win!

pic.twitter.com/59BDHfc9TP

– Ingrid Betancourt Pulecio (@IBetancourtCol) May 20, 2022

advertising

Both Betancourt and Hernández hail from the center of the Colombian political spectrum, and this year's presidential race has so far been dominated by the two extreme candidates, leftist Gustavo Petro and rightist Federico 'Fico' Gutiérrez.

In Colombia, the two candidates who obtain the most votes in the first round go on to the second round, scheduled for June 19.

In his speech, Betancourt urged other centrists to join Hernández's campaign, as the best chance to get a centrist candidate into the runoff.

• The Colombia that Iván Duque leaves: challenges, failures and achievements

“This is the campaign that will lead us to victory.

I make a call to all the people of the center, who think about not voting or voting null, we cannot afford it.

Let's unite!” he said.

Hernández is a former mayor of Bucaramanga and a largely unknown presence on Colombia's political scene until he entered the race for the presidency this year.

His campaign has been compared to that of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro for his opposition to the traditional political parties that have dominated Colombian politics for the last sixty years.

Left-wing candidate Petro is the favorite to win the first round with about 40% of the vote, according to the latest polls.

Gutierrez and Hernandez are seen as the best placed to join him in the second round.

Colombian Elections