Far-right De la Espriella wins Colombia presidency in tight runoff, preliminary count shows

Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has narrowly won Colombia's presidential election, according to preliminary results. De la Espriella, representing the Defensores de la Patria movement, secured 12,931,544 votes, or 49.65% of the ballots cast.

His opponent, leftist Iván Cepeda of the Pacto Histórico party, garnered 12,684,994 votes, amounting to 48.70%. The razor-thin margin of 245,738 votes, or 0.95 percentage points, is considerably tighter than pre-election polls had suggested.

While both candidates increased their vote counts from the first round, Cepeda saw a proportionally larger gain. The close outcome necessitates a full recount, with official confirmation pending. President Gustavo Petro has pointed to "many irregularities" and stressed that the final word rests with the extensive scrutiny process involving thousands of judges and notaries.