Colombia election: Cepeda to challenge 33,000 votes after narrow defeat

Leftist presidential candidate Iván Cepeda acknowledged the preliminary results of Colombia's second-round election on Sunday, June 21, which indicate a narrow victory for ultrarightist Abelardo de la Espriella.

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We have reached this final instance with the narrowest vote difference recorded in any second-round election in Colombian electoral history.

Despite recognizing the outcome of the pre-count, Cepeda announced that his campaign intends to challenge 33,000 voting tables during the official scrutiny. "We have reached this final instance with the narrowest vote difference recorded in any second-round election in Colombian electoral history," Cepeda stated to his supporters in Bogotá. The preliminary results, based on 99.91% of counted tables, show Cepeda with 12.7 million votes (48.70%) compared to De la Espriella's 12.9 million (49.65%).

Cepeda, representing the Pacto Histórico party, affirmed his and his movement's commitment to democratic rules. "We have stated it: Pacto Histórico and the Alliance for Life, all of us, our leaders, are democrats. Far from us is authoritarianism and arbitrariness. The pre-count conducted tonight, we recognize it as official data," he declared. However, he immediately followed this by informing that his campaign's legal and electoral monitoring teams have already begun the process of challenging the 33,000 tables nationwide.

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We have stated it: Pacto Histórico and the Alliance for Life, all of us, our leaders, are democrats. Far from us is authoritarianism and arbitrariness. The pre-count conducted tonight, we recognize it as official data.

Cepeda also vowed to prevent any regression of social achievements made during the current government, which concludes on August 7. "We will not allow, we say it clearly, using the force of democracy, mobilization, and political action, that the social conquests we have built in recent years in Colombia be rolled back," he asserted. The senator also expressed the left-wing sector's willingness to engage in dialogue for national unity, stating, "We are willing to dialogue, we are willing to seek consensus, as long as it is respectful."

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Our group of witnesses, tens of thousands of lawyers, are proceeding to challenge 33 thousand tables across the country. One by one, they must be subject to scrutiny.

He further highlighted the high voter turnout of 63.57% as positive news for the country, emphasizing that increased citizen mobilization is a good sign for Colombia.

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We will not allow, we say it clearly, using the force of democracy, mobilization, and political action, that the social conquests we have built in recent years in Colombia be rolled back.