Trump-backed Abelardo de la Espriella wins Colombia’s presidential election
Abelardo De La Espriella celebrates victory in Colombia presidential election
Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has narrowly won Colombia‘s presidential election runoff, securing 49.66% of the vote against rival Ivan Cepeda’s 48.70%.
De la Espriella campaigned on promises to crack down on crime, strengthen the economy, end talks with rebel groups and boost the oil and gas sector, while also pledging to maintain some popular social initiatives.
His opponent, Senator Ivan Cepeda, advocated for continuing the policies of the current leftist President Gustavo Petro, including state pension payments and ongoing peace talks with armed groups.
The election result was extremely close, with less than one percentage point separating the candidates, and Cepeda’s campaign is challenging the results from approximately 33,000 ballot boxes.
De la Espriella, a lawyer with no prior political experience, faces challenges including high public debt and a divided Congress, which may necessitate watering down some of his proposals.
