Colombia’s presidential race was decided in a narrow finish, with populist candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a Trump ally, edging out leftwing senator Iván Cepeda after a tense runoff that went down to the final vote count.
With 99.65% of ballots tallied in the preliminary results, de la Espriella had secured 12.91 million votes, or 49.65%, giving him a lead of just 248,310 votes over Cepeda, who finished with 12.67 million votes, or 48.7%. Another 1.6% of ballots were left blank, according to the count.
The result marked a tighter margin than the first round three weeks earlier, when de la Espriella’s lead was larger at 673,000 votes.
The outcome represents a move away from the left after four years of President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first and only leftwing leader, who was constitutionally barred from seeking re-election and backed Cepeda as his preferred successor.
De la Espriella, a millionaire lawyer who has styled himself as an anti-establishment figure, is set to take office on August 7. His campaign leaned heavily on a hardline security message, pledging a tougher stance against armed groups and drug trafficking networks, reports The Guardian.
Violence and public security were central themes throughout the election, with Colombia still dealing with armed conflict dynamics despite a 2016 peace agreement with most of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Officials and analysts note that while violence is lower than in earlier decades, the past year has still seen an uptick compared with recent post-peace agreement lows.
De la Espriella has proposed building 10 maximum-security “mega-prisons” and previously said he would target criminals “like rats and cockroaches”. He has also said he would “disembowel” the left, later describing the comment as figurative.
He has also pledged to end Petro’s “total peace” approach and return to more direct confrontation with armed groups, while seeking US cooperation on strikes against coca plantations. Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, a key driver of ongoing violence.
With 99.65% of ballots tallied in the preliminary results, de la Espriella had secured 12.91 million votes, or 49.65%, giving him a lead of just 248,310 votes over Cepeda, who finished with 12.67 million votes, or 48.7%. Another 1.6% of ballots were left blank, according to the count.
The result marked a tighter margin than the first round three weeks earlier, when de la Espriella’s lead was larger at 673,000 votes.
The outcome represents a move away from the left after four years of President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first and only leftwing leader, who was constitutionally barred from seeking re-election and backed Cepeda as his preferred successor.
De la Espriella, a millionaire lawyer who has styled himself as an anti-establishment figure, is set to take office on August 7. His campaign leaned heavily on a hardline security message, pledging a tougher stance against armed groups and drug trafficking networks, reports The Guardian.
Violence and public security were central themes throughout the election, with Colombia still dealing with armed conflict dynamics despite a 2016 peace agreement with most of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Officials and analysts note that while violence is lower than in earlier decades, the past year has still seen an uptick compared with recent post-peace agreement lows.
De la Espriella has proposed building 10 maximum-security “mega-prisons” and previously said he would target criminals “like rats and cockroaches”. He has also said he would “disembowel” the left, later describing the comment as figurative.
He has also pledged to end Petro’s “total peace” approach and return to more direct confrontation with armed groups, while seeking US cooperation on strikes against coca plantations. Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, a key driver of ongoing violence.
