COLOMBIA: Santos Scores Overwhelming Victory Over Eccentric Mockus.

NYTIMES/     Polls correctly predicted victory for President Uribe's chosen heir, former defense minister Juan Manuel Santos, who won a presidential run-off with a scorching 69% of the 9 million votes cast.
The Green Party candidate, unorthodox former Bogota mayor Antanas Mockus, garnered a meager 27.8%. Turnout was low, hampered by foul weather and competing soccer matches. Santos may also have been aided by FARC rebels who killed at least 10 members of Colombia’s security forces over the weekend, reminding voters of the lingering security concerns. Santos now faces challenges with neighbors Venezuela and Ecuador. He has traded nasty comments and seen sharply curtailed trade with President Hugo Chavez and is sought on a murder warrant in Ecuador for his role in a 2008 raid there.