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Trump-backed Abelardo de la Espriella wins razor-tight Colombia ... - TAG24 2026-06-22 05:16:44 Trump-backed Abelardo de la Espriella wins razor-tight Colombia presidential election Barranquilla, Colombia - A US-backed lawyer who has never held public office narrowly won Colombia 's presidential runoff Sunday, swinging the country hard right with a promise to wage war against drug-running guerrilla groups. Colombia's presidential candidate for the Defensores de la Patria movement, Abelardo de la Espriella, speaks to supporters from behind bullet-proof glass following the preliminary results of the presidential runoff election at the Ventana al Mundo monument in Barranquilla, Colombia, on June 21, 2026. © JUAN BARRETO / AFP With almost all polling centers reporting, Abelardo de la Espriella won 49.66% of the vote versus left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda's 48.7%. The 47-year-old's victory extends a wave of rightist candidates who have swept to power across Latin America promising "iron fist" security policies. "We are beginning a new era!" De la Espriella told supporters in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla from behind bullet-proof glass. World US military kills two people and strands …

REACTION: De La Espriella Wins Colombia's Election by Narrow ... Reading Time: 7 minutes Abelardo De La Espriella , a right-wing outsider, won Colombia’s presidential election by less than 1% of the vote, defeating leftist Iván Cepeda by running a campaign on a tougher security strategy and more aggressive anti-drug trafficking measures. De La Espriella received 12.959 million votes (49.7%) compared to Cepeda’s 12.708 million (48.7%), according to the nation’s electoral authority. His victory reflected a highly polarized electorate and represents the most recent rightward shift in Latin America’s politics. Earlier this month, De La Espriella was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Cepeda and his close ally, outgoing President Gustavo Petro, cast doubt on the results, alleging irregularities without evidence. This election had Colombia’s highest turnout since the presidential runoff system was established in 1994. While Cepeda won in more departments (18 versus 14), De La Espriella secured a higher concentration of votes in territories with significant electoral weight, local newspaper El Tiempo reported. De La Espriella will take office on August 7. AQ asked analysts to share…

Colombian election loser threatens ‘civil disobedience’ if winner does not ditch US citizenship De la Espriella, a conservative lawyer who ran on a tough-on-crime platform and was endorsed by US President Donald Trump, won Colombia’s presidential runoff on June 21, defeating Cepeda by 250,000 votes.

Trump-backed de la Espriella holds razor-thin lead in Colombia's ... Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella addressing supporters from behind bulletproof glass in Barranquilla on Sunday following the preliminary results of Colombia's runoff election. Jaime Saldarriaga / AFP via Getty Images Share Add NBC News to Google June 21, 2026, 11:31 PM EDT / Source : The Associated Press By The Associated Press BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella held a razor-thin lead in Colombia’s presidential election with nearly all the votes counted Sunday, in a runoff vote marked by people’s fears of a renewed internal conflict. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. A victory by de la Espriella would effectively be an indictment of the policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro , whose protégé had promised to continue his agenda if he defeated his rival. De la Espriella, a business owner and lawyer who earned U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for office, led progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda taking 49.7% of the votes, with 99.9% of the results released by electoral autho…

De la Espriella wins Colombia's presidency in the preliminary count as Cepeda awaits the tally <p> <img src="https://en.mercopress.com/data/cache/noticias/110557/100x80/es.jpg" alt="De la Espriella addressed Colombians with a &#147;message of unity&#148; and promised &#147;absolute respect&#148; for the vote" width="100" height="80" style="float:left;margin:0 12px 6px 0;border:1px solid #333" /> Right-wing criminal lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia's presidency, according to the preliminary count by the Registraduría, defeating left-wing senator Iván Cepeda by less than a point in the closest runoff in the country's history. With about 99.9% of the tables processed, De la Espriella took 49.66% of the vote against Cepeda's 48.70%, a difference of some 250,000 ballots. The governing-coalition candidate acknowledged the preliminary count but warned that he would not accept the result until the definitive tally, and challenged 33,000 of the 120,000 polling tables; President Gustavo Petro said that "neither can proclaim himself president."</p>

Trump-backed political outsider wins Colombia election, initial count shows Abelardo de la Espriella appears to have narrowly defeated his rival Iván Cepeda, who says the preliminary count is "not yet official or binding".

Trump-backed de la Espriella wins preliminary count in razor-tight runoff Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the "Defenders of the Homeland" movement and his vice-presidential running mate, Jose Manuel Restrepo, ride in a bulletproof booth toward a celebration rally after election results showed him leading in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. Rodrigo Abd/AP South America Donald Trump See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Threads Link Copied! Follow Summary Trump-backed far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won the preliminary count in Colombia's presidential runoff. His rival Iván Cepeda has asked his supporters to wait for the official tally. De la Espriella promises an iron fist approach to crime and stronger ties with Washington. AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor. Sigue nuestra cobertura de las elecciones en español Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who was endorsed by US President Donald Trump, won the preliminary count of the presidential race in Colombia on Sunday, clinching a narrow margin over his government-backed rival Iván Cepeda. De La Espriella claimed victory, telling a crowd of supporters in the coa…

Trump-backed de la Espriella wins razor-tight Colombian presidential election Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer and businessman who earned US President Donald Trump's support, on Sunday won Colombia's presidential runoff with 49.7 percent of the vote, beating his left-wing rival Ivan Cepeda with a one percent lead. Cepeda told supporters he would challenge results from more than 30,000 voting stations.

Trump-endorsed de la Espriella declared winner of Colombia's ... Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia’s presidential election to Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative outsider who was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Preliminary election results showed de la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never run for office, defeated Cepeda, a lawmaker, by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes. BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Conservative outsiderAbelardo de la Espriella, a millionaire political neophyte, will be Colombia’s next president after electoral authorities on Wednesday declared him the winner of Sunday’s runoff election. The businessman and lawyer, whose ventures include a clothing line, wine and rum brands, and a restaurant, earnedU.S. President Donald Trump’sendorsement despite never having run for office. He defeated progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda by 1 percentage point, or more than 251,000 votes. Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement speaks to supporters from inside a bulletproof booth at a celebration rally after runoff election results showed him leading in Barr…

Trump-backed right-wing lawyer appears to win Colombia's presidential ... Abelardo De la Espriella was endorsed by Trump earlier this month. Abelardo De la Espriella, a right-wing lawyer with no prior elected political experience, appears to be Colombia’s next president, according to preliminary results from Sunday’s runoff election. If formalized, he would defeat Senator Iván Cepeda, a long-time left-wing politician, receiving 49.7% of the vote, with 99% of votes counted nationwide. De la Espriella, a conservative lawyer and dual citizen of the U.S. and Colombia, campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform and has promised to build 10 mega-prisons in the South American Country, inspired by the security policies of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, amid rising violence in the country. De la Espriella was endorsed by Trump earlier this month. “The results of this election are very important to the future of Colombia and its relationship with the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Because of his tremendous accomplishments in life, and his political support for me personally, it is my honor to give Abelardo my complete and total endorsement.” Colombia’s current presi…

Far-right millionaire Abelardo de la Espriella wins Colombia’s presidential runoff <p>Leftwing opponent alleges vote count irregularities after Trump-endorsed lawyer secures narrow majority</p><p>The Trump-admiring far-right millionaire lawyer and self-styled “outsider” Abelardo de la Espriella has won Colombia’s presidential runoff, defeating the leftwing senator Iván Cepeda.</p><p>With 99.65% of ballots counted in the preliminary vote tally, de la Espriella had secured 12.91m votes, or 49.65%, just 248,310 more than Cepeda, who received 12.67m votes, or 48.7%. A further 1.6% of ballots were cast blank.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/21/far-right-millionaire-abelardo-de-la-espriella-wins-colombia-presidential-runoff">Continue reading...</a>

De la Espriella claims victory, warns Colombia's left to "refrain from ... byAdriaan Alsema|Jun 22, 2026 The projected winner of Colombia’s election, Abelardo de la Espriella, claimed victory and warned opponents to “refrain from sparking social unrest.” During his victory speech, De la Espriella ignored electoral authorities’ alert that Sunday’s count was preliminary and that the official results will be the result of a scrutiny process. With a difference of 250,000 votes, Cepeda earlier announced that lawyers had begun challenging 33,000 of  122,020 ballot boxes before electoral authorities. According to the far-right leader, Petro and Cepeda, “by denying to accept the election results are not defying ‘El Tigre’, but rather the millions of citizens who secured the victory.” De la Espriella asked his supporters to “confront those who disregard the will expressed at the polls.” Petro and Cepeda, refrain from sparking social unrest. Respect the people’s verdict and democracy. There will be no third round of voting in the streets here. Accept the result, pack your bags, and prepare to serve in the opposition… Senator-elect Ivan Cepeda, refrain from inciting violence and sowing…

Trump says Colombia's 'El Tigre' will be a 'great president' as socialist opponent launches legal challenge Trump congratulated de la Espriella on his apparent Colombia election win. With 99.9% counted, he leads 49.7% to 48.7%, but rival Cepeda has launched a challenge over voting irregularities.

BREAKING: Trump-endorsed far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella wins Colombia's presidency — 49.65% to Cepeda's 48.7%, a margin of just 248,310 votes. Petro alleges irregularities without evidence. Official scrutiny: ~2 more days. Inauguration: Aug 7. #Colombia #latinoamérica #Election