Colombian regional elections end amid violence

Colombia's regional elections ended Sunday amid at least seven violent incidents, authorities said. The driver of Deputy President of the Congress Albeiro Vanegas was killed while he was driving the congressman's car in the northeastern city of Betoyes, Interior Minister German Vargas said. The other violent events were reported in the cities of Leiva in the southwest, La Hormiga in the south, Toribio in the southwest, El Castillo in central Colombia, Aguadas in the midwest and Florida in the southwest, Vargas said. Also, 56 people were arrested due to electoral crimes, the minister said. Reports said only 7,430,000 voters turned out for the elections, which began at 8 a.m. (1300 GMT) and ended at 4 p.m. (2100 GMT), and the abstention rate could be as high as 56 percent to 60 percent. Governors, mayors, congress members, councilors and town councilors were elected. In Bogota, the economist and left-wing former senator Gustavo Petro was elected mayor of the capital, according to official results.