Santos vows continuity as new President

COLOMBIA: Colombian President-elect Juan Manuel Santos vowed on Monday to extend his predecessor's security and economic policies and began by naming an economist widely respected by Wall Street as his finance minister.

Santos succeeds President Alvaro Uribe as leader of Washington's top ally in South America and says he will continue pro-business drive that saw foreign investment soar, as well as a popular tough line against FARC guerrillas.

Uribe's former defense minister, Santos has a strong mandate to tackle a lingering war the leftist rebels, a stubborn fiscal deficit and tense ties with Venezuela after winning a landslide victory to claim the presidency on Sunday.

Santos won 69 percent of the ballot a historic record of 9 million votes in the run-off election against Bogota Mayor Antanas Mockus, who won 27 percent after challenging traditional parties with his call for cleaner government. Bogota, Tuesday, Reuters