Colombia's presidential runoff has resulted in a narrow victory for far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, who defeated leftist senator Iván Cepeda by just over 250,000 votes. With 99.99% of ballots counted, De la Espriella secured 12.96 million votes (49.66%) against Cepeda's 12.7 million (48.7%). The result marks a sharp shift to the right after four years under President Gustavo Petro, who was barred from seeking re-election.
De la Espriella, a Trump-endorsed millionaire and self-styled outsider, promised in his victory speech to respect the constitution and be president for all Colombians. Speaking from behind bulletproof glass in Barranquilla, he said: 'Your rights, even if you did not vote for me, will be respected. Your opinions will be heard.' He also emphasised the need for a close alliance with the US to combat organised crime.
The leftwing opposition has alleged irregularities in the vote count. President Petro posted on social media that he would only recognise the outcome after the official scrutiny process, expected to take two more days. Cepeda declined to accept the preliminary results and said his team would challenge results from 33,000 polling stations. No recount has ever flipped a Colombian presidential election result.
Protests erupted among Cepeda supporters, with demonstrators in Cali burning US flags and clashing with police. In Bogotá, hundreds gathered outside the largest polling station. Cepeda urged his supporters to remain calm and await the recount. The election is seen as part of a broader trend of far-right victories in Latin America, following wins in Honduras and Chile.
