Colombians will choose their next president on Sunday in a runoff election that has revived the ghost of far-right paramilitaries. The two candidates, Iván Cepeda and Abelardo de la Espriella, have been shaped in contrasting ways by their relationships with the private armies that fueled the country's decades-long conflict.
Two Lives, One Conflict
Abelardo de la Espriella, 47, a far-right admirer of Donald Trump, launched his legal career defending paramilitary leaders. Iván Cepeda, 63, a leftwing senator, saw his father assassinated by army officers linked to paramilitaries and built his career as a human rights activist exposing their crimes.
The winner will take office on August 7, inheriting the worst violence since the 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Opposing Strategies for Crime
De la Espriella, who has led polls since the first round, advocates a return to full-scale military confrontation. Cepeda, backed by current President Gustavo Petro, supports a modified continuation of the "total peace" strategy, which involves negotiations with all armed groups. Security experts say this strategy has broadly failed as violence has surged.
Sunday's vote "reflects the reality of a country shaped by drug trafficking," said Gustavo Duncan, a leading scholar of paramilitarism.
History of Paramilitaries
Paramilitary groups emerged in the 1960s to fight leftwing rebels, often colluding with the military. By the 1980s, they protected cocaine trafficking routes and drug lords like Pablo Escobar. At their peak, they had over 30,000 members.
In the 1990s, paramilitaries became notorious for massacres involving extreme torture, including rape, dismemberment with chainsaws, and decapitations. They targeted anyone suspected of sympathizing with guerrillas, as well as LGBTQ+ people, sex workers, and homeless individuals in "social cleansing" campaigns.
Personal Histories
In 1994, paramilitaries and army members murdered Senator Manuel Cepeda. His son Iván, then a university professor, found his father's car riddled with bullets. He later founded a movement representing victims of the death squads, collecting testimony from former paramilitaries in prisons.
Meanwhile, De la Espriella rose to prominence defending leaders of the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) during its demobilization. The AUC no longer exists, but its former members founded the Gulf Clan, now Colombia's largest illegal armed group.
Accusations and Denials
Cepeda filed a criminal complaint against De la Espriella last week, alleging he acted as a "possible recruiter" for the AUC through a foundation. De la Espriella dismissed the accusations as a "smokescreen" and claimed Cepeda maintains a "narco-political" alliance with guerrilla groups.
De la Espriella has denied any illegal acts, insisting his contact with paramilitaries was strictly professional as a criminal lawyer.
International Reactions
Donald Trump endorsed De la Espriella after the first round, calling Cepeda a "radical left Marxist." Eleven Democratic US Congress members sent a letter to the Trump administration, urging examination of De la Espriella's ties to the AUC, which was designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2001.
Public Sentiment
For supporters like Lucy Vélez, a graphic designer from Manizales, De la Espriella's tough-on-crime promises resonate. "I do like the idea of being tougher on crime," she said. Another supporter, Marcela, a driver in Bogotá, said, "The paramilitaries kept the guerrillas in check... Unfortunately, they have served a purpose in some ways."
However, journalist María Teresa Ronderos expressed sadness at the prospect of returning to the past. "Colombia has spent years trying to dismantle that terrible war, and he talks about 'disembowelling' leftists and killing criminals," she said. "To return to that after everything it cost us is deeply sad."
