Colombia’s Presidential Race Heads to Runoff Between De La Espriella and Cepeda
- On Sunday, Colombian voters sent lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and Senator Iván Cepeda to a presidential runoff scheduled for June 21, after De la Espriella led with more than 43% and Cepeda secured less than 41% of votes.
- The election functions as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro's 'total peace' policy, which aims to negotiate ceasefires with armed factions 10 years after Colombia signed the historic peace pact with FARC.
- De la Espriella, known as 'The Tiger,' advocates for a militaristic crackdown modeled on President Nayib Bukele's approach, while Cepeda promises to deepen reforms and continue what he describes as a 'democratic revolution' under Petro.
- Washington is closely watching the runoff given Colombia's strategic role in hemispheric drug trafficking and migration efforts, as the result will determine whether the nation aligns closer with President Donald Trump or pursues independent foreign policy.
- Candidates must now court the less than 7% of voters who supported Paloma Valencia to secure victory in the highly polarized June 21 contest, which will set Colombia on sharply diverging political paths.
187 Articles
187 Articles
Abelardo de la Espriella reversed the polls and won left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda, having now 'open way' to victory on the 2nd lap. Petro only accepts votes counting done by justice.
Against every prediction, the representative of the Colombian Ultradestra Abelardo De la Espriella imposed himself in the first round of the Colombian presidential elections and next June 21 will go to the ballot with the candidate of the left, Ivan Cepeda
The presidential election in Colombia did not make a decision in the first round, but it was a surprise. Right-wing lawyer Abelardo ... The post Colombia: Right-wing candidate beats left-wing senator Cepeda in the first round of elections appeared first on Apollo News.
Colombia: far-right De la Espriella advances first to runoff as Petro disowns results
Far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella took first place in the first round of the Colombian presidential elections held on Sunday, in a result that contradicted all previous polls and immediately opened an institutional crisis. With 99% of polling stations counted in the preliminary tally, De la Espriella, of the Defensores de la Patria movement, reached 43.7% of the vote —some 10.3 million ballots—, while leftist senator Iván Cepeda, of the r
Right-Wing Firebrand Surges Into Colombia Runoff
“A far-right lawyer who pledged to smash the cocaine-fueled armed groups that have expanded in this country took the most votes in Sunday’s first round of the presidential election, a blow to both the ruling leftist party and establishment conservatives,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
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