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Colombia Elects President Between De la Espriella and Cepeda

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Colombia is holding a presidential runoff election on June 21, 2026, between far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist Iván Cepeda.
  • De la Espriella, who led in the first round, is supported by former U.S. President Donald Trump, while Cepeda is from the same party as current President Gustavo Petro.
  • The election follows a highly polarized campaign, with Petro alleging irregularities despite election officials denying fraud.

Colombians head to the polls on Sunday, June 21, 2026, for the presidential runoff election to choose the successor to current President Gustavo Petro. The choice is between far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist Iván Cepeda.

Polling stations opened at 8:00 AM and will close at 4:00 PM. Preliminary counts will begin immediately after, determining who will lead Colombia from 2026 to 2030. This election follows a first round on May 31, which saw De la Espriella, a lawyer and founder of the Defensores de la Patria movement, receive the most votes.

Surveys indicate De la Espriella, nicknamed 'El Tigre' by his supporters, is the favorite in the runoff, with projected support ranging from 48.6% to 50.9%. Cepeda, a senator from Petro's Pacto Histórico party, is expected to receive between 43.1% and 44.7% of the vote.

The campaign has been marked by extreme polarization. Both candidates have exchanged accusations, and former Presidents Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump have also influenced the volatile process. Petro has faced accusations of political intervention and has not accepted the results of the first round, calling for a calm recount amidst claims of irregularities. However, national registrar Hernán Penagos has dismissed any possibility of fraud.

Mañana a movilizar el electorado, a cuidar el voto

— Iván CepedaIván Cepeda's call to action before the runoff election.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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