Colombia right-wing candidate De La Espriella has lead in tight presidential race
Supporters of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement celebrate election results after polls closed in the runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, on June 21, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
Colombian right wing candidate Abelardo De La Espriella looked poised to win the country’s Sunday (June 21, 2026) presidential race, notching just under 50% of the vote, with nearly 95% of ballot boxes counted, data from the country’s national registry office showed.
His rival, the leftist Ivan Cepeda, was some 368,000 votes behind with 48.4%. De La Espriella, 47, has proposed a tough crackdown on crime, as well as the end to peace talks with armed groups and a boost to Colombia’s oil and gas sector.
Mr. Cepeda, 63, has vowed to continue the policies of President Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and the country’s first leftist president, which include state pension payments for the poor, union-backed labor reforms, peace talks with armed groups that have fought the state for decades and a moratorium on new oil projects.
Mr. De La Espriella blames Mr. Petro for the country’s economic and security woes and has vowed to lower taxes and reduce the size of the state by up to 40%, but has said he will preserve Mr. Petro’s 23% increase in the minimum wage, along with other popular social measures.
Whoever wins will grapple with high public debt and a divided Congress, which could stymie reform proposals.
Some 4,00,000 voters turned in blank ballots, usually seen as a protest vote.
Published – June 22, 2026 04:28 am IST
