politics
De la Espriella and Cepeda Advance to Colombia’s Presidential Runoff
Abelardo de la Espriella received nearly 44 percent of the vote and Iván Cepeda less than 41 percent in Colombia's May 31 first-round presidential election. The candidates will face each other in a runoff on June 21.
Jun 1, 8:20 AM·1m read4 sources
Petro ContinuityAnti-Petro Shift
Military.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
Abelardo de la Espriella received 43.8 percent of the vote and Iván Cepeda received 40.7 percent in the first round of Colombia’s presidential election held on May 31, according to results reported by electoral authorities. The two candidates will compete in a June 21 runoff. Cepeda called for a debate with de la Espriella before the second round.
De la Espriella, responding on X, wrote: “Are you ready, coward?” Neither Cepeda nor President Gustavo Petro presented evidence to support their statements questioning the election results. Colombian markets rose and the peso strengthened on Monday following the first-round results.
De la Espriella, 47, has never held elected office. He lived in Italy before launching his campaign. He built his legal career representing former President Álvaro Uribe and Alex Saab, described in court records as a close ally of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. De la Espriella has proposed opening 10 mega-prisons as part of a crime crackdown.
Cepeda has said he would continue President Petro’s “total peace” policy, which seeks negotiated agreements with guerrillas and criminal gangs. Petro was elected president in 2022. Colombia’s land area is more than 50 times larger than that of El Salvador.
