Left win Bogota as Colombia votes

Tight security was in place at polling stations across Colombia

A leftist rival of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has been elected mayor of Bogota, regarded as the country's second most powerful elected post.

Samuel Moreno of the Democratic Pole party won despite apparent campaigning by Mr Uribe against him.

At least 21 candidates died during the run-up to Sunday's local and regional polls, with the government blaming the violence on left-wing guerrillas.

But election day passed off largely peacefully across Colombia.

That will be seen as a victory for President Uribe who has moved to curb armed groups, including right-wing paramilitaries who still exert considerable influence over local politics.

Samuel Moreno's win is the second successive victory for his party

Some 170,000 police and soldiers were deployed to protect polling stations.

Colombians were voting to fill some 15,000 regional posts, including governors, mayors, regional assembly members and municipal officials.

The most important post is that of Bogota mayor.

Mr Moreno's victory is the second successive win for the Democratic Pole and could boost the party's standing ahead of the next presidential election in 2010, correspondents say.

Harvard-educated Samuel Moreno is the grandson of a former military ruler, Gen Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, who seized power in 1953 in a move he said was aimed at halting bloody sectarian violence in the country.