De la Espriella and Cepeda Advance to Colombia’s Presidential Runoff

Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda advanced to Colombia's June 21 presidential runoff after the first round of voting on May 31. De la Espriella captured nearly 44 percent of the vote while Cepeda received less than 41 percent. Cepeda called on de la Espriella to debate him ahead of the runoff.

De la Espriella replied on X: “Are you ready, coward? ... ” Cepeda and President Gustavo Petro questioned the election results without providing evidence. Colombian markets and the Colombian peso rose on Monday.

De la Espriella, 47, known as “El Tigre,” has never held elected office in Colombia. He lived in Italy before entering the race and built his reputation as a lawyer defending former President Álvaro Uribe and Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuela’s ousted president Nicolás Maduro. ” He also pledged to open 10 mega-prisons to combat crime.

Cepeda has vowed to continue Petro’s “total peace” initiative, which seeks negotiated agreements with guerrillas and criminal gangs. Petro won the presidency in 2022. Colombia is more than 50 times larger than El Salvador, a fact analysts cite when assessing whether de la Espriella’s proposed security measures can be replicated.