22/06/2026 03:07 - Internacionales
Abelardo de la Espriella, un hombre de 47 años con cabello corto y traje oscuro, da un discurso de victoria en Barranquilla detrás de un vidrio antibalas, rodeado de banderas colombianas y una multitud celebrando con carteles de su movimiento Defensores de la Patria.
In what will be remembered as one of the closest elections in Colombian history, Abelardo de la Espriella, a 47-year-old criminal lawyer and founder of the far-right movement Defensores de la Patria (Defenders of the Homeland), has won the second round of Colombia's presidential election with 12,941,992 votes, representing 49.71% of the electorate, according to 99.84% of counted polling stations.
His opponent, Iván Cepeda, candidate of the governing Historic Pact coalition and supported by outgoing president Gustavo Petro, received 12,694,863 votes (48.64%). The difference between the two candidates was merely 247,000 votes, revealing a deeply divided society.
Colombia, South America's third-most populous country with over 50 million inhabitants, has traditionally been a US ally in the region. The Casa de Nariño mentioned in this article is the presidential palace in Bogotá, equivalent to the White House in the United States.
The path to power for De la Espriella is remarkable. In 2024, this successful criminal lawyer moved to Florence, Italy, stepping away from legal practice. However, it was precisely from abroad that he began plotting his political career, returning to Colombia to found Defensores de la Patria in July 2025.
His platform centered on harsh criticism of President Gustavo Petro's government, promising to dismantle what he called the failed socialist model and recover lost security. His proposals included resuming aerial fumigation against drug crops, strengthening the Armed Forces, and building mega-prisons inspired by El Salvador's model under Nayib Bukele.
Javier Milei, Argentina's president, was among the first to react, publishing an official statement from the Presidential Office: The Lion and the Tiger roar in Latin America... There is no turning back from the change the region began in 2023. Milei emphasized that the victory represents a resounding rejection of far-left ideas that have caused so much harm to the region.
Donald Trump celebrated the result on his social media platform Truth Social with a brief message: He won, big. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed having spoken with the president-elect to congratulate him and expressed the Trump Administration's interest in working on regional security, ending illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthening economic ties.
Despite the clear trend in the preliminary count, candidate Iván Cepeda has not recognized the results as official and binding, announcing he will contest 31,000 polling stations nationwide, alleging irregularities. President Gustavo Petro also questioned the process, arguing that it is the official count that determines who is president and ordered the police director to ensure the protection of votes in Bogotá and Medellín.
The president of the National Electoral Council, Cristian Quiroz, explained that definitive results will be known after the legal scrutiny process, which could take approximately one to one and a half days, similar to what occurred in the first round on May 31, 2026, where De la Espriella obtained 43.74% and Cepeda 40.90%.
| Round | Abelardo de la Espriella | Iván Cepeda |
|---|---|---|
| First Round (May 31, 2026) | 43.74% | 40.90% |
| Second Round (June 21, 2026) | 49.71% | 48.64% |
De la Espriella, in his victory speech in Barranquilla (a major Caribbean coastal city), proclaimed: Colombia, here is your president. He promised to be the president of all Colombians, guaranteeing that there will be no victors or vanquished, there will be no persecuted. However, he also warned his detractors: Refrain from unleashing a social fire. There will be no third round in the streets here.
The new president, married since 2008 to Ana Lucía Pineda and father of four children, will assume office on August 7, 2026 for a term extending until 2030, facing the challenges of governing a country divided almost in half, with strong demands for security and an opposition that promises to be fierce.
First Round (May 31, 2026): De la Espriella 43.74% vs Cepeda 40.90%.
Overseas Voting: De la Espriella won in the United States, Canada, and Venezuela; Cepeda in Argentina and Brazil.
Key Figure: Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, assassinated during the campaign, was mentioned by De la Espriella as a tribute in his victory speech.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
