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BOGOTA (Reuters) - A former Colombian guerrilla insurgent who is trying to become the country's first leftist president, Gustavo Petro said he would focus on narrowing its yawning gap between rich and poor if elected.

The 57-year-old leftist economist, who was mayor of Bogota from 2011 to 2013, ranks second in polls to replace President Juan Manuel Santos and is pledging to change the nation's economic model, by taxing owners of unproductive land and shifting away from oil and coal.