The first round of Colombia’s presidential elections did not produce a winner on Sunday. Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella received the most votes so far and will face left-wing senator Iván Cepeda in the second round on June 21.
With more than 99 percent of the votes counted, De la Espriella won about 44 percent of the votes in the first round. Cepeda received 41 percent of the votes. Conservative senator Paloma Valencia received less than 7 percent of the vote. To win the presidential election in one round, more than 50 percent of the votes are needed.
The campaign to succeed outgoing President Gustavo Petro is mainly about tackling drug violence in the country. Senator Ivan Cepeda (63) stands up for the left-progressive Pacto Historico and is known as a human rights activist. To combat increasing gang violence in Colombia, he wants to continue on the course of the current president. Among other things, it tried to invest more in anti-poverty programs and at the same time conduct negotiations with all armed gangs, even the most violent.
Businessman Abelardo de la Espriella (47) wants to save Colombia from being ‘destroyed’ by the left. His great role models are US President Donald Trump, Argentine President Javier Milei and Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador. To combat gang violence, Espriella proposes a military alliance with the US and Israel. He also wants to expand large prisons and defends the right to carry a weapon.
