Colombia’s presidential runoff ends with de la Espriella winning by under one percentage point

Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia's presidential runoff on June 21 with 49.66 percent of the vote against Ivan Cepeda's 48.70 percent. The margin stood at 247,000 votes out of more than 26 million ballots cast, representing 63 percent of registered voters. -Colombian national who has never held public office, addressed supporters in Barranquilla from behind thick bulletproof glass.

" he said. " Cepeda, the 63-year-old leftist senator, said he would acknowledge the official result once the count and checks were complete. No recount has ever overturned a presidential election result in Colombia.

Demonstrations broke out in Cali and Bogota after preliminary results were announced. In Cali, some protesters burned American flags and clashed with riot police using steel bars; police responded with tear gas. In Bogota, demonstrators burned tires and hurled bricks at police.

De la Espriella supporters in several cities wore canary-yellow national football jerseys. U.S.