Far-Right Candidate De la Espriella Elected Colombia's President in Preliminary Count

Colombia's presidential election has concluded with the victory of far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who secured a narrow win over the officialist left-wing contender. Preliminary results from the electoral authority show de la Espriella, who received support from U.S. President Donald Trump, winning with 49.6% of the vote compared to his opponent's 48.6%. This election marks one of the closest in Colombian history. The lawyer, who lacks prior political experience, will take office on August 7th. His presidency is expected to bring a radical shift to the right, focusing on shrinking the size of the state and implementing a policy of building mega-prisons to address the country's worst wave of violence in a decade. De la Espriella's win over Senator Iván Cepeda, an ally of Gustavo Petro, the nation's first left-wing president, signifies a major political realignment for the country.