The right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly won Colombia’s presidential election, according to the initial vote count, marking a dramatic shift in how the government will tackle the country’s internal armed conflict and violence.
Espriella, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, has pledged a military crackdown on illegal armed groups, drug trafficking and crime.
He appeared to defeat the left-wing Iván Cepeda, a close ally of the president, Gustavo Petro.
Reacting to the result, he said “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.”
With over 99% of votes counted, De La Espriella had won nearly 49.7% of the vote, while Cepeda won 48.7%.
Cepeda has not conceded, saying the preliminary count was “not yet official or binding”.
“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.”
Espriella, who was raised in the Caribbean coastal region, enjoyed significant regional support there.
In Barranquilla, a city on the coast, a huge crowd of supporters gathered to celebrate his result. All of them donned the Colombian yellow football jersey and waved Colombian flags. They sang and danced to music from a stage lit up with photos of Espriella’s face, chanting, “stand firm for the homeland” and “Petro out!”, before a fireworks display.
Some wore hats akin to Donald Trump supporters, but saying “Make Colombia Great Again!”
Trump responded to the result, writing on Truth Social, “He Won, BIG!”
“We are tired of the killings in this country. And tired of the bureaucracy of this government. We have a president from the coast!” one supporter, Patricia said.
“We are proud of The Tiger. We hope he will change the country, to a new one where we can have jobs, and more security above everything,” another supporter said.
The polarising differences between the two candidates has led to mounting fears that there could be unrest in the country after the result, especially if some critics do not recognise the result.
Petro may challenge the result. He posted on X that “neither can be proclaimed president” after a “pre-count result” and demanded an audit of voting software, making allegations that some polling stations were “compromised” without providing evidence.
Who is Abelardo de la Espriella?
Espriella is a lawyer and businessman with no prior political experience, who has nicknamed himself “El Tigre” (the Tiger.)
As a lawyer his clients included Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuela’s ousted president Nicolás Maduro, who faces US charges of money laundering, and David Murcia Guzman, one of Colombia’s biggest fraudsters. He has said this was part of job as a defence lawyer.
He has drawn comparisons with El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele for his security policies and even the style of his beard.
At rallies and on social media, he and his supporters frequently dress in the Colombian national football jersey, which his critics accuse him of politicising, and do military-style salutes. He has often addressed crowds behind bulletproof glass screens.
Military crackdown
Colombia’s internal armed conflict has lasted for decades, but it has escalated in the last few years. Membership of armed guerilla groups and cartels, including FARC dissidents, the ELN and the Clan del Gulfo, has doubled in the last five years.
Violence has escalated as they battle over lucrative cocaine trafficking routes and illegal mining sites. Last year, a brutal offensive along the Colombia-Venezuela border displaced tens of thousands of people. Cocaine production, in the world’s largest producer, has hit a record high.
Critics of the current President Petro say his ‘total peace’ strategy to prioritise negotiation with armed groups has failed, including by allowing armed groups to take advantage of ceasefires to expand their influence and territories.
Espriella has pledged to scrap any negotiations with illegal armed groups and instead introduce a tougher military crackdown on armed groups to restore order, including closer collaboration with the US.
He has also vowed to build mega-prisons in Colombia’s jungle, and to shrink the state and reform the health system. Trump endorsement
Espriella has been a US citizen since 2023 after living and working in Miami for many years.
He was endorsed by Donald Trump who said he would “stop illegal immigration, crack down on crime and drugs, and restore LAW AND ORDER!”
Before the election, Trump added that Espriella would have the “total support and strength of the United States behind him.”
Colombia has historically been on of the US’s closest allies in the region, but that relationship was strained in recent years due to often fiery exchanges between President Trump and President Petro who clashed over the US’s migration policies, tariffs, and military intervention in Latin America.
His election is part of a wider shift in the region, as several Latin American countries have shifted to the Right in recent elections, driven in particular by concerns about security.
Espriella received praise from other right-wing leaders in the region including Argentina’s president Javier Milei who said Colombians had chosen the path of “economic freedom, prosperity, unwavering security, and telling organised transnational crime and drug trafficking ENOUGH ALREADY.”
Chile’s president José Antonio Kast said “a new stage of freedom begins for Colombia that will allow them to recover security and prosperity.”
By BBC News
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