Morning Edition · Sunday, June 21, 2026BREAKING

Trump-Backed de la Espriella Claims Narrow Win in Colombia as His Rival Contests the Count

Far-right outsider Abelardo de la Espriella leads the leftist Iván Cepeda by under one percentage point in a preliminary tally, signaling a sharp turn back toward Washington that Colombia's outgoing government says is not yet settled.

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Colombia's electoral authorities released a preliminary count on Sunday showing Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer and political newcomer endorsed by US President Donald Trump, narrowly ahead in the presidential runoff. With more than 99% of ballots tallied, de la Espriella held 49.65% against 48.70% for the leftist senator Iván Cepeda, a margin of fewer than 250,000 votes. Reporting from CNN and France 24 described his roughly 12.9 million votes as the most any presidential candidate has received in the country's history.

The result is not certified. Cepeda said his campaign will contest the tally at about 33,000 polling stations during the official manual count, which is expected over the coming days. Outgoing President Gustavo Petro, whose term ends this year, alleged irregularities and said neither candidate could be proclaimed the winner until the official count is ratified. Colombia's preliminary "quick counts" have historically tracked the certified results closely.

De la Espriella, 47, who calls himself "El Tigre," ran on a hardline security platform. He has pledged to end negotiations with armed groups, launch a military offensive against guerrillas and drug traffickers, and build El Salvador-style mega-prisons modeled on President Nayib Bukele's mass-incarceration program. A criminal defense lawyer by career, he is also a naturalized US citizen and registered Republican who previously lived in Miami.

Trump issued a Truth Social endorsement calling the contest "a battle between Law + order and 21st century Marxism," a rare public intervention by a sitting US president in an active foreign campaign. De la Espriella has said he wants to fully restore diplomatic relations with Washington, would route Colombia's dealings with Venezuela through the US State Department, and intends to revive oil exploration and strengthen Ecopetrol, the state-controlled energy company. Al Jazeera noted that his rise marks a sharp rightward break from Petro, the country's first leftist president.

Investors had positioned for the outcome. Since de la Espriella topped the first round on May 31, the benchmark COLCAP stock index has risen roughly 10%, led by Ecopetrol, and the peso has been among the strongest currencies in Latin America this year, according to financial reporting from Rio Times.

What this means

A Trump endorsement and a near-tie outcome together signal how directly Washington's preferences are now shaping elections across Latin America, and how a single percentage point can reverse a country's foreign alignment, security doctrine, and energy policy at once. A contested count in a deeply divided electorate also raises the prospect of a disputed transfer of power.

What to watch

Whether Colombia's official manual count confirms the preliminary result and how Cepeda and Petro respond if it does.
De la Espriella's first moves toward Washington, including any shift on Venezuela and the proposed relocation of Colombia's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Sustained direction of the peso, the COLCAP index, and Ecopetrol shares once a result is certified.

Observations to monitor, not financial advice.

3 sources

Synthesized from: CNN · Al Jazeera · RT