“If he doesn’t take responsibility for his words, he will lead to the killing of Colombian citizens, as in the past. No one should be armed on the campaign trail. Political debate is about arguments and intelligence, not force. It’s not about reason or force, it’s only about reason,” the president wrote on his social media account.

He also asked the two campaigns involved in the second round of voting to form a committee for public safety to ensure the country can decide its future peacefully. “I urge the Attorney General to act immediately, and I urge Colombian society not to let force take over the debate.

Let’s calm tempers and let everything be decided at the ballot box,” he said.

Less than two weeks before the presidential runoff between De la Espriella and the leftist candidate, Ivan Cepeda, tensions are rising in Colombia among supporters of both campaigns.

The verbal clashes have also spilled over into the digital sphere, with hashtags supporting each candidate vying for top spots in trending topics daily.

In the first round, De la Espriella received 10,366,000 votes, while Cepeda garnered 9,703,000, according to the final count.

Since neither candidate reached more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election is required under Colombian law.

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