Abelardo de la Espriella, the Tiger, Pounces for Colombia's Presidency

Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, dubbed "El Tigre" by supporters, declared himself the president-elect of Colombia on Sunday. Preliminary results showed him winning by a slim margin in the presidential runoff, positioning him to succeed Gustavo Petro for the 2026-2030 term. This marks a rapid political ascent for De la Espriella, who founded the "Defenders of the Fatherland" movement just eleven months ago, transitioning from a successful but questioned career as a criminal defense lawyer with no prior government experience.

De la Espriella established his movement in July 2025 with the explicit goal of preventing the continuity of Petro's left-wing government and his successor, Iván Cepeda. He successfully united the right-wing factions, previously aligned with "uribismo." An admirer of Donald Trump and a donor to the Republican Party, De la Espriella amassed wealth defending controversial clients, including the now-detained Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab and David Murcia Guzmán, central to Colombia's largest pyramid scheme. His past also includes participation in peace talks between Álvaro Uribe's government and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) twenty years ago through the "Initiatives for Peace" Foundation (Fipaz).

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We will make Colombia the miracle homeland, like South Korea or Ireland, and a country of entrepreneurs.

At 47, De la Espriella, who boasts of not accommodating traditional politicians within his movement, pledged to make Colombia "a miracle homeland," akin to South Korea or Ireland, and a nation of entrepreneurs. His government plan outlines ten "miracles" for security, health, education, agriculture, environment, culture, women, animal welfare, the mining-energy sector, and anti-corruption efforts. He counters criticism about his lack of public office experience by stating it frees him from political and economic entanglements, emphasizing his success as a businessman as a transferable skill for governance.

With a "self-made" narrative and patriotic messaging, including military salutes and religious invocations, De la Espriella resonated with a significant portion of the electorate, including Catholic and evangelical voters. Drawing comparisons to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, with whom he shares physical and ideological resemblances, De la Espriella, despite facing criticism for sexist remarks and attitudes, promises to "combat criminals and corrupt individuals with an iron fist."

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We will combat criminals and corrupt individuals with an iron fist.