Trump-backed candidate wins razor-tight Colombia presidential election
Colombia’s right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella gestures, as he addresses supporters after the preliminary runoff results against leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda, in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Jun 21, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Jair Coll)
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
BARRANQUILLA, Colombia: A flamboyant US-backed lawyer who has never held public office narrowly won Colombia’s presidential runoff on Sunday (Jun 21), swinging the country hard right with a promise to wage war against drug-running guerrilla groups.
With almost all polling centres reporting, Abelardo de la Espriella won 49.66 per cent of the vote versus left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda’s 48.70 per cent.
The 47-year-old’s victory is set to improve strained relations with Washington and extends a wave of rightist candidates who have swept to power across Latin America promising “iron fist” security policies.
“We are beginning a new era!” he told supporters in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla from behind bullet-proof glass.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
“For those who have sown violence, terror, drug trafficking, and corruption all these years, their time is up!” he said.
US President Donald Trump and a host of right-wing leaders from across the Americas have clamoured to offer congratulations and support.
UNREST
After a campaign marred by guerrilla bomb attacks and the murder of a leading conservative presidential candidate, there was a quick sign of how tough it will be to unite the country.
As he was speaking, thousands of protestors gathered in Colombia’s third-largest city Cali.
Some burned American flags, others wielded bricks and bars and clashed with riot police, who tried to disperse the crowd with teargas.
But elsewhere there was elation. De la Espriella supporters poured onto the streets of several cities wearing the canary-yellow national football jersey he had adopted as a campaign uniform.
They waved flags, blew horns and expressed hope that “The Tiger”, as they call him, would bring security.
“I’m very happy,” said 30-year-old supporter Daniela Oliveros in Barranquilla. “I believe a lot in the country, I believe a lot in freedom.”
“Abelardo, at this moment, is giving us above all a sense of security, employment, and dignity,” she said.
But with only a few hundred thousand votes separating the two candidates – De la Espriella also voiced a conciliatory tone.
“Mine will be an absolutely democratic government and a guarantor of freedom and institutional order,” he said vowing to respect all races, religions and political stripes.
“I will govern for all Colombians, for those who voted for me and for those who choose another candidate” he said.
WAR AND PEACE
De la Espriella’s victory marks a return to power for Colombia’s right wing, which has ruled for all but four of the last 200 years.
His victory is likely to test Colombia’s fragile decade-old peace process.
During the campaign, the dual US-Colombian national, who calls himself “El Tigre” told AFP that he would scrap peace talks with dissident groups and launch a 90-day campaign of US-backed airstrikes against them.
In the 10 years since a landmark peace accord was signed with FARC guerrillas, much of Colombia has prospered.
But cartels and dissident groups still control pockets of the country, cocaine exports are at an all-time high and Colombia remains one of the world’s most economically unequal countries.
“Colombia’s best days are ahead,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adding that Washington “looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration.”
“THIRST FOR POWER”
His opponent, 63-year-old leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda stopped short of conceding defeat, telling supporters he would wait until all the votes were validated.
“Once the count has been completed and its final result is known, and the corresponding checks have been carried out, we will acknowledge the official result,” he said.
The preliminary vote must will now crosschecked before an official announcement is made. But to win Cepeda would need hundreds of thousands of votes to be overturned.
The margin of error for the first count is usually in the low thousands.
De la Espriella warned Cepeda to respect the democracy, form the opposition and “don’t even think about stoking violence.”
“The Tiger can still bite you harder than he has bitten you at the ballot box” he warned.
Cepeda’s campaign had appealed to many worse-off Colombians who wanted a more equal economy and fear a return to violence.
“I’m very worried about what Abelardo might do in a government,” said 40-year-old bank worker Santiago Galindo, who voted for Cepeda.
Galindo worried “how far his thirst for power could go and his willingness to trample over people without really caring about them.”
Source: AFP/ec
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
