Abelardo de la Espriella claims Colombia's presidency in razor-thin runoff victory
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19 days · 6 summary articles
Abelardo de la Espriella, the hard-right lawyer and political outsider backed by former US President Donald Trump, declared himself Colombia’s next president on Sunday night after securing a razor-thin victory in the presidential runoff. Preliminary results showed de la Espriella, who styles himself as *El Tigre*, winning 49.65% of the vote to leftist Senator Iván Cepeda’s 48.70%, according to the Registraduría Nacional with 99.93% of ballots counted . The margin of less than one percentage point underscores a deeply divided nation, with outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s administration and Cepeda refusing to concede, alleging irregularities at 33,000 polling stations and demanding recounts .
De la Espriella’s victory marks a seismic shift in Colombian politics, ending the first leftist administration in the country’s history and extending a broader rightward trend across Latin America. Conservative leaders across the region, including Trump and US Senator Marco Rubio, swiftly congratulated the president-elect, who has never held office but built a reputation as a tough-on-crime lawyer and wealthy businessman . His campaign promises to crack down on crime and revitalise the economy resonated with voters alarmed by rising insecurity and economic stagnation, while critics warn his policies could exacerbate social divisions.
The election’s outcome was so close that de la Espriella struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech, urging opponents to “accept the result, pack your bags, and prepare to serve in opposition” . Yet the narrow margin and Cepeda’s refusal to concede risk prolonged political instability, with Petro’s supporters already preparing for street protests if the recount demands are ignored. International observers, including the OAS, have called for calm and transparency, while de la Espriella’s allies in Bogotá celebrate what they see as a mandate for change.
De la Espriella’s rise from political outsider to president-elect reflects a broader pattern in the Americas, where populist leaders are capitalising on voter discontent. His self-styled image as a successful entrepreneur—often compared to a mafia boss by critics—has been central to his appeal, blending anti-establishment rhetoric with promises of order . As Colombia awaits final certification of the results, the world watches to see whether his presidency will unite a fractured nation or deepen its divisions.
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Articles
Na predsedniških volitvah v Kolumbiji zmagal politični novinec in Trumpov podpornik de la Espriella V drugem krogu predsedniških volitev v Kolumbiji je tesno zmagal kandidat desnice in politični novinec Abelardo de la Espriella, ki ga je podprl tudi ameriški predsednik Donald Trump, kažejo neuradni začasni izidi.
rtv slovenia · about 2 hours ago
Abelardo de la Espriella remporte la présidentielle en Colombie : "Il joue sur son image de chef dentreprise à succès, presque mafieux..." Chantre dun discours de fermeté et conservateur, anti-élites, et outsider politique il y a encore quelques semaines, Abelardo de la Espriella, qui avait provoqué la surprise au premier tour du scrutin présidentiel colombien, devance dun point son rival de gauche, Ivan Cepeda. ...
la libre · about 2 hours ago
Quién es Abelardo de la Espriella, el eventual presidente electo de Colombia El abogado de ultraderecha Abelardo de la Espriella, llamado el Tigre por sus seguidores, se ha proclamado presidente electo de Colombia tras imponerse ayer por menos de un punto de diferencia al izquierdista Iván Cepeda en la segunda vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales. Leer
expansion · about 2 hours ago
Colombia closes polls in high-stakes presidential runoff Voting stations closed across Colombia as more than 41 million voters cast ballots to choose between populist Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist Ivan Cepeda in the presidential runoff.
yenisafak · about 2 hours ago
Trump-backed De la Espriella wins Colombias razor-thin presidential runoff With 99.93 of ballots counted, Abelardo de la Espriella secured 49.65 of the vote, narrowly defeating Ivan Cepedas 48.7 in a tight presidential runoff. Outgoing President Petro and Cepeda have refused to concede, citing irregularities and demanding recounts at 33,000 polling stations. Conservative leaders in the region have already congratulated De la Espriella.
yenisafak · about 2 hours ago
Trumpfavorit utropar sig till segrare i presidentvalet i Colombia Under söndagskvällen utropade ytterhögerkandidaten Abelardo de la Espriella sig själv som Colombias nya president. Enligt preliminära siffror vinner Tigern, som han kallar sig själv, med ytterst liten marginal. – Acceptera resultatet, packa era väskor och förbered er på att tjänstgöra i oppositionen, säger han i ett uttalande riktat till motståndarsidan.
dagens nyheter · about 2 hours ago
„Das Land ist exakt in zwei Hälften geteilt: Ein hauchdünner Sieg des kolumbianischen Milei [premium] Bei der Stichwahl um das Präsidentenamt hat der Rechtspopulist Abelardo de la Espriella knapp die Nase vorn. Doch sein Gegner gibt sich noch nicht geschlagen. Kolumbien ist polarisiert.
die presse · about 2 hours ago
Colombia elects Trump-backed De la Espriella, extending regions rightward shift Trump-backed lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella has won Colombias presidency by a razor-thin margin, defeating Iván Cepeda as Latin Americas rightward tilt gains another convert and Bogotá braces for unrest.
intellinews · about 2 hours ago
Milionarul de extremă dreapta Abelardo de la Espriella, admirator al lui Trump, câștigă la limită alegerile prezidențiale din Columbia Avocatul și omul de afaceri Abelardo de la Espriella, candidat de extremă dreapta și admirator declarat al președintelui american Donald Trump, a câștigat turul al doilea al alegerilor prezidențiale din Columbia, învingându-l la limită pe senatorul de stânga Iván Cepeda.
adevarul · about 2 hours ago
El derechista Abelardo de la Espriella será el próximo presidente de Colombia Se impone por un margen de un punto en un país totalmente partido en dos. El presidente Gustavo Petro había sugerido a los suyos tomar las calles si su delfín, Iván Cepeda, no era el elegido Leer
elmundo · about 2 hours ago
Far-right lawyer De La Espriella wins Colombias tight presidential race Far right lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella, who won backing of Donald Trump, seals narrow victory in run-off election.
aljazeera · about 2 hours ago
Trump and Rubio congratulate De la Espriella on his preliminary victory in Colombia Conservative leaders across Latin America also celebrated the results of the presidential election, which gives a razor-thin advantage to the self-styled outsider
elpais · about 2 hours ago
The far-right De la Espriella will be Colombias next president, according to preliminary vote count The controversial criminal lawyer, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, has defeated the leftist candidate Iván Cepeda by less than one percentage point. If confirmed, it will mark a shift for one of the few leftist strongholds that remained in Latin America
elpais · about 2 hours ago
🟠 UPDATEColombia election: Hard-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella poised to winAbelardo De La Espriella won the run-off election with a narrow victory and received backing from Donald Trump.📰 #GeoWire
mastodon bot · about 2 hours ago
Abelardo De la Espriella, el polémico ultra que será el próximo presidente de Colombia Apodado El Tigre, el ganador de las elecciones prosperó como abogado de paramiliares, futbolistas y famosos
la vanguardia · about 2 hours ago
Trump se felicita por el triunfo de De la Espriella, al que Rubio ya llama presidente electo La autoridad electoral colombiana llama a la prudencia y pide tranquilidad ante el resultado preliminar de las elecciones, aunque De la Espriella ya se describe como presidente electo en sus redes sociales
la vanguardia · about 2 hours ago
Colombie : Abelardo de la Espriella, un millionnaire dextrême droite pro-Trump élu président
lexpress · about 2 hours ago
Colombie: lextrême droite remporte de justesse la présidentielle Selon les résultats provisoires, Abelardo de la Espriella a devancé Iván Cepeda, dimanche 21 juin, au second tour de la présidentielle, de seulement 250 000 voix. La mobilisation de son camp na pas permis au candidat de gauche de rattraper son retard.
mediapart · about 2 hours ago
Abelardo de la Espriella fait basculer la Colombie à lextrême droite avec sa victoire à lélection présidentielle, sur fond de participation record Outsider avant le scrutin, lavocat et millionnaire dultradroite met fin à la première alternance de gauche de lhistoire du pays.
le monde · about 2 hours ago
Ein Tiger, der Katzen quält: Dieser rechte Hardliner dürfte bald Kolumbien regieren Er will den Staatsabbau wie Argentiniens Milei, Megagefängnisse wie El Salvadors Bukele und eng mit Trump zusammenarbeiten. Wer ist Abelardo de la Espriella, der die Wahlen in Kolumbien voraussichtlich gewonnen hat?
tagesspiegel · about 2 hours ago
Stichwahl in Kolumbien: Selbsternannter „Tiger macht das Rennen In Kolumbien gewinnt der rechtsextreme Kandidat Abelardo de la Espriella die Stichwahl. Er schlägt zunächst versöhnlichere Töne an als im Wahlkampf. mehr...
taz.de · about 2 hours ago
Uiterst rechtse miljonair wint volgens voorlopige telling presidentsverkiezing in Colombia. Wie is deze man die zichzelf El Tigre noemt? Met de waarschijnlijke winst van de door Trump gesteunde outsider Abelardo de la Espriella maakt ook Colombia een ruk naar rechts. Die trend is op het hele continent zichtbaar.
nrc · about 2 hours ago
Trump-backed populist who has never held office wins Colombias presidential election With almost all the votes counted, Abelardo de la Espriella held 49.66 of the vote versus left-wing Senator Ivan Cepedas 48.70.
thejournal · about 2 hours ago
Colombias presidential election won by Trump-backed millionaire lawyer Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has promised to crack down on crime and build a stronger economy
independent · about 2 hours ago