Right-Wing Candidate Edges Ahead in Tight Colombian Presidential Race

Colombia’s presidential election appeared to be headed for a right-wing victory on Monday night, with Abelardo de la Espriella, known as “El Tigre,” leading a closely fought contest. According to the National Registry office, with about 90% of polling stations counted, de la Espriella had 50.1% of the vote, while left-wing rival Iván Cepeda had 48.3%. A later count showed the margin shrinking to less than 1%, or about 245,000 votes, after nearly all ballots were tallied.

Cepeda’s campaign said it did not recognize the preliminary results and would challenge the outcome in about 33,000 polling stations. His team added that it would wait for the final vote count before accepting the result of the election.

De la Espriella said he spoke with US President Donald Trump, who congratulated him on the election win. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also wrote on X that he had spoken with the right-wing candidate and congratulated him, saying the Trump administration looked forward to close cooperation with the incoming government on regional security, ending illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthening economic ties. Rubio added, “Colombia’s best days are ahead.”

Rubio and Trump both publicly praised de la Espriella as the vote count neared completion, while supporters of the right-wing candidate celebrated what they saw as a victory. The final outcome was still pending the official count and any legal challenge from the left-wing camp.