Colombia: de la Espriella Leads at 49.7% - Petro Challenges 33,000 Polling Stations
Gap with Cepeda about 248,000 votes. Trump congratulated the right-wing candidate. Result not yet official.
In Colombia’s presidential runoff on June 21, right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella leads leftist Ivan Cepeda in the preliminary count. The official result is not yet declared - and the fight over votes is only starting.
Numbers on the evening of June 21
Per Reuters and AP:
- de la Espriella - about 49.66%
- Cepeda - about 48.70%
- gap - roughly 248,000 votes out of 22.5 million ballots
This is not final. Registraduría (electoral authority) is still verifying.
Dispute over the count
President Gustavo Petro and Cepeda’s team are challenging results at 33,000 of 115,000 polling stations. The argument - “anomalies” and delays in remote areas.
de la Espriella calls the challenges an attempt to “steal the election.” His camp wants a swift victory declaration.
Who is de la Espriella
59, lawyer, former Conservative Party MP. Campaign themes:
- tough line on drug cartels
- pledge to move the embassy to Jerusalem (like Trump)
- criticism of Petro’s “left-wing experiment”
Trump congratulated him on Truth Social before counting finished. For Washington, a right-wing win would shift the region toward US allies.
If Cepeda catches up
A gap under 1% could mean weeks of legal fights. Petro leaves office August 7 - a recognised winner is needed by then.
If de la Espriella holds the lead - Colombia swings sharply right after four years of left-wing rule. If Cepeda surges - Latin America gets another left-wing president in a major regional economy.
Watch Registraduría: tonight decides whether this is a clean win or a court marathon.