Colombia’s presidential election has advanced to a runoff between hard-right outsider Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist senator Iván Cepeda after a close first round.

De la Espriella led with about 43.7% of the vote, narrowly ahead of Cepeda’s roughly 40.9%, defying pre-election polls that favored Cepeda.

Both candidates represent sharply different visions, with De la Espriella campaigning on tough “law and order” policies and Cepeda focusing on social reforms and continuity of left-wing governance.

De la Espriella’s surprise lead was driven by strong support in central regions concerned about crime, while Cepeda performed better in coastal and border areas focused on socioeconomic issues, Al-Jazeera has reported.

The two will now compete in a runoff election to decide Colombia’s next president.