Trump-Backed De la Espriella Wins Colombia Presidency by Narrow Margin
By The Media Line Staff
Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia’s presidential runoff election by a narrow margin, defeating left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda after campaigning on promises to combat crime, reduce bureaucracy and strengthen the economy.
Results released by Colombia’s National Registry showed that with 99.99% of polling stations counted, De la Espriella, 47, received 49.66% of the vote, compared with 48.7% for Cepeda, 63.
More than 41 million Colombians were eligible to vote in the election. The National Registry reported that 26.3 million ballots were cast in the runoff, including 12.9 million votes for De la Espriella.
The president-elect was backed by President Donald Trump during the campaign. Following the result, President Trump posted on Truth Social: “He Won, BIG.”
Supporters celebrating the outcome included some wearing hats modeled on those popular among President Trump’s supporters, bearing the slogan “Make Colombia Great Again!”
De la Espriella, a defense attorney who branded himself as the law-and-order candidate and adopted the nickname “El Tigre,” or “The Tiger,” celebrated the victory in Barranquilla alongside vice president-elect José Manuel Restrepo, a former finance minister.
Addressing supporters, De la Espriella said, “Tonight marks the beginning of a new story for the nation, tonight a new era begins, a change of order.”
He also pledged to govern on behalf of all citizens regardless of how they voted.
“I’m going to govern for all Colombians. For those who voted for me, and for those who chose the other candidate,” he said.
In a separate statement, De la Espriella said that “today begins a new stage for our country, a stage built on the free and democratic will of millions of citizens who chose to believe in a great, safe, prosperous Colombia full of opportunities”.
Cepeda, a close ally of President Gustavo Petro, had not conceded as of Sunday night. While acknowledging the preliminary count, he said the results had not yet been finalized.
“Once the official canvass takes place and its final result is produced, and the corresponding verifications have been carried out, we will recognize the official result that emerges from that structure.”
The final certification process remained pending following the release of the preliminary results.
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