GettyRight-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has narrowly won Colombia’s presidential election, an initial vote count shows, marking a dramatic shift in how the government will tackle the country’s internal armed conflict and violence.
De la Espriella, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, has pledged a military crackdown on illegal armed groups, drug trafficking and crime.
He appeared to defeat left-wing Iván Cepeda, a close ally of the president, Gustavo Petro.
De la Espriella 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”.
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.”
The verification process showed little difference to initial counting in the first round of voting on 31 May, Reuters news agency reported.
De la Espriella, who was raised in the Caribbean coastal region, enjoyed significant regional support there.
After the initial vote count came through, de la Espriella addressed a huge crowd of supporters who had gathered to celebrate in Barranquilla, a city on the coast.
“T”Tonight marks the beginning of a new story for the nation, tonight a new era begins, a change of order,” said De la Espriella, who has nicknamed himself “El Tigre” (The Tiger.)
“I’m going to govern for all Colombians. For those who voted for me, and for those who chose the other candidate.”
He also pledged loyalty to the country’s 1991 constitution and said he would protect it.
De la Espriella’s supporters donned the country’s yellow football jersey and waved Colombian flags. They sang and danced to music from a stage lit up with photos of de la Espriella’s face, chanting, “stand firm for the homeland” and “Petro out!”, before a fireworks display.
Some wore hats akin to US President Donald Trump’s 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.
Supporters of Cepeda were also on the streets of Barranquilla, voicing their concerns over the tight win.
“There’s a palpable sense of unease in the air,” Catalina La Grande, a student and activist who supported Cepeda, told the BBC.
“Such a narrow margin also worries us, because it reflects how divided the country is and the enormous challenges we face in defending democracy, peace, and people’s rights.”
Maria, another young supporter of Cepeda, said the results showed the country was divided but said people had remained peaceful.
“There have been no violent incidents in the streets, which is positive considering the level of polarisation we are experiencing,” she 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.
Late on Sunday, there were reports of clashes between protesters and police in Colombia’s third-largest city Cali, with demonstrators burning US flags and police using tear gas to break up large crowds angry at de la Espriella’s win.
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?
De la Espriella is a lawyer and businessman with no prior political experience.
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 guerrilla 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.
De la 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
De la Espriella has been a US citizen since 2023 after living and working in Miami for many years.
He was endorsed by 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 de la 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.
De la 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.”
