Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer and admirer of Donald Trump, has won the first round of Colombia's presidential election, securing 43.7% of the vote against leftwing senator Iván Cepeda's 40.9%. The result surprised analysts, as polls had consistently shown Cepeda leading.
De la Espriella's victory is seen as a blow to traditional conservative forces, highlighted by the collapse of rightwing senator Paloma Valencia's candidacy, who finished with just 6.9%. Political scientist Yan Basset noted that Valencia's decline led to a tactical shift of rightwing voters toward De la Espriella.
Both candidates now face a runoff on 21 June, with roughly 3.6 million votes up for grabs. De la Espriella has promised to end Colombia's decades-long armed conflict within 90 days through military alliances with the US and Israel, while Cepeda supports President Gustavo Petro's 'total peace' negotiation strategy.
The campaign has been marked by heated rhetoric. Cepeda labelled his rival a 'misogynist' and 'homophobe', while De la Espriella called Cepeda and Petro 'a pair of delinquents'. Petro also sparked controversy by questioning the election results without evidence, a move analysts described as 'not healthy' for democracy.
