LEFTIST candidate Gustavo Petro has won the first round of the Colombian elections.

He will face a run-off against a millionaire businessman who has previously praised Adolf Hitler. 

The former mayor of Bogota gathered 40.3 per cent of the votes in Sunday’s poll and will go head to head in a second round with Rodolfo Hernandez, who finished in second place on 28 per cent.  

“I believe in Colombia, the peaceful dream, beautiful, fair and full of work and knowledge,’Mr Petro said on polling day. “I believe it’s time to make dreams come true.”

He could become the first leftist to be elected president, but the front-runner faces a tough challenge from his rival, a construction magnate dubbed the region’s Donald Trump. 

Mr Hernandez is a far-right populist whose campaign, largely run on social media, tried to strike an anti-establishment tone.

But the multimillionaire has faced criticism for being light on policy, with no coherent economic strategy other than budget cuts and further austerity measures.

He caused uproar while serving as mayor of the Colombian city of Bucaramanga in 2016 according to the Multipolarista website. 

“I am a follower of a great German thinker who is named Adolf Hitler,” he said in a live interview with RCN Radio. 

He recanted in 2021 when he launched his campaign for the Colombian presidency, insisting his remarks were “a slip of the tongue.”

Mr Petro accused Mr Hernandez of hypocrisy for standing on an anti-corruption ticket while facing charges himself. 

“My opponent is imputed for corruption. It is not a process of lies: they are real indications,” he said. 

Mr Petro is a former M-19 guerilla fighter, but has since shifted from revolutionary politics to a more moderate stance. 

He has been criticised for his stance against the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, dubbed the “troika of tyranny” by Washington, which has placed all three under harsh sanctions amid a desire for regime change. 

But his victory would mark a significant break from the right-wing administration of President Ivan Duque, who was unable to run for a second term under Colombia’s constitution. 

His preferred candidate, Federico Gutierrez, finished in third place on 24 per cent of the vote and immediately called for his supporters to back Mr Hernandez. 

The election run-off will take place on June 19.