Abelardo de la Espriella has narrowly won the second and decisive round of the presidential elections in Colombia. After more than 99 percent of the votes were counted, the right-wing lawyer and Trump supporter leads with 49.67 percent of the votes.
His opponent, left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, finished close behind with 48.69 percent of the votes. He was labeled as a favorite prior to the elections, but after the first round on May 31, De la Espriella unexpectedly emerged as the most popular. Because no candidate obtained an absolute majority, the decisive second round took place on Sunday.
Security was a central issue in the polarized elections. During his campaign, De la Espriella promised to crack down on drug cartels and armed groups. He not only wants to end peace talks with armed rebels, but also to carry out a US-backed campaign of air strikes against the groups. De la Espriella also plans to build mega prisons and expand the oil and gas industry.
Cepeda promised to continue the policy of left-wing President Gustavo Petro and to hold peace talks with armed groups. He also wanted to suspend new oil projects.
This is a quick count of the election results. The result of the slower and legally binding count is expected in a few days. Petro has said he will only recognize that result.
