Abelardo de la Espriella Holds Narrow Lead in Colombia Presidential Runoff

Abelardo de la Espriella held a narrow lead Monday with 49.7% of the vote to Iván Cepeda’s 48.7% after Colombia’s June 21 presidential runoff, with 99.9% of results released by electoral authorities. Election officials have not formally declared a winner.

President Donald Trump. Cepeda, a lawmaker and ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, is the candidate of the ruling progressive coalition. Cepeda announced that his team is challenging results from more than 30,000 voting stations and described the count as unofficial.

Petro also vowed to challenge the outcome. No recount has ever overturned a Colombian presidential election result. De la Espriella addressed supporters Sunday night in Barranquilla behind bulletproof glass.

“I will govern for all Colombians,” he said. “Pack your bags and prepare to become the opposition. ” Cepeda replied in Bogotá on Monday. “Let me be perfectly clear: We are half of this country in political terms, and we have a long history of resistance,” he said.

He urged supporters to remain calm. Protests broke out Monday in Cali, where the municipality favored Cepeda with nearly 60% of the vote. Demonstrators damaged a public bus, surveillance cameras and an ATM.

Authorities reported four police officers injured and two demonstrators arrested. The winner will begin a four-year term in August 2026.