Colombia: Shots fired in the run-up to the elections

An assassination attempt on prominent conservative presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay has shaken Colombia less than a year before the presidential elections. While left-wing President Gustavo Petro blames the opposition for the increased social polarization, the opposition accuses Petro of acting outside the constitutional order with his announcement of a referendum. Many Colombians now fear a return to the days of internal armed conflict, when contract killings of politicians were a regular occurrence.