Colombian candidates still tied for May vote -poll

BOGOTA May 19 (Reuters) - Colombian presidential candidates Juan Manuel Santos and Antanas Mockus remain tied ahead of this month's election, but independent Mockus is just ahead for a June run-off, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

Santos, former defense minister for President Alvaro Uribe, would get 37.5 percent of votes in the May 30 first round, with two-time Bogota mayor Mockus getting 35.4 percent, the Invamer-Gallup poll said.

In a second round, Mockus would win 48.5 percent of votes with Santos winning 43 percent.

If no candidate wins outright on May 30, they would face a June run-off to decide who will succeed Uribe, a U.S. ally who steps down after two terms battling leftist rebels.

(Reporting by Patrick Markey in Bogota; Editing by Will Dunham)