In a landslide so tight it could be measured by a few hundred thousand votes, Colombia elected a far-right businessman who calls himself “El Tigre” as its next president. Abelardo de la Espriella, a lawyer and millionaire endorsed by Donald Trump, narrowly beat left-wing senator Iván Cepeda on a promise to crush the country’s armed groups with an iron fist – a dramatic shift from the current government’s “total peace” strategy.
Colombia’s presidential runoff was decided by the thinnest of margins. With more than 99% of votes counted, de la Espriella had secured 12.96 million votes (49.66%) against Cepeda’s 12.7 million (48.7%) – a gap of just 250,830 ballots. A further 1.6% were blank votes. Cepeda has not conceded, saying the preliminary count is “not yet official or binding” and calling for a full verification. De la Espriella, who campaigned in a Colombian football shirt and promised 10 mega-prisons, won the support of Trump, who wrote on Truth Social: “He Won, BIG!”
“Explaining the narrow victory of far-right outsider Abelardo de la Espriella and what it means for Colombia's conflict.”
The election was defined by Colombia’s brutal, decades-long internal conflict. For six decades, armed groups, cartels, and the state have fought, killing hundreds of thousands. In the last five years, illegal armed groups – including FARC dissidents, the ELN, and the Clan del Golfo – have roughly doubled their membership, expanding control over rural areas key to drug trafficking and illegal mining. Last year, a brutal offensive between the ELN and FARC dissidents near the Venezuela border displaced tens of thousands. Forced displacement rose 300% in some areas, according to a government advisor. It is this violence that dominated voters’ minds. Edilma Martinez Flores, a displaced woman in Bogotá, told reporters her brother was murdered for not paying an extortion payment, and armed groups placed bombs along escape routes.
The two candidates offered starkly different solutions. Cepeda, seen as the “architect” of President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” strategy, prioritised negotiation with armed groups. He played a key role in the 2016 peace deal that disarmed thousands of FARC fighters. Critics say the strategy has failed, letting armed groups exploit ceasefires to expand control. De la Espriella promised a military crackdown, ending negotiations, and famously said he had the “balls” to take on criminals. “Any criminal who does not surrender will be taken down,” he declared.
Why should UK readers care? Colombia is one of the world’s largest cocaine producers, and its internal stability directly affects global drug flows, which in turn affect illegal markets in the UK. The country has also been a key US ally in Latin America; de la Espriella has pledged a close alliance with Washington to fight organised crime. A hardline shift could alter cooperation on security, trade, and migration, all of which have ripple effects for Europe.
Q: Who is Abelardo de la Espriella? Abelardo de la Espriella is a right-wing lawyer, businessman, and self-styled outsider from Colombia’s Caribbean coast. He calls himself “El Tigre” (The Tiger) and was endorsed by former US president Donald Trump. He has promised a tough military crackdown on armed groups, 10 mega-prisons, and an end to peace negotiations. He is a US citizen.
Q: Why was the election so close? Colombia is deeply divided over how to handle its six-decade internal armed conflict. The left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda backed negotiation and social transformation, continuing President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” approach. The right-wing de la Espriella offered a hardline security crackdown. The preliminary margin was less than 1%, reflecting a country split nearly in half.
Q: What happens next? Cepeda has demanded a full official canvass and verification, noting the preliminary result is not binding. De la Espriella has pledged to govern for all Colombians and respect the constitution. He plans to build a close alliance with the US to fight organised crime. The transition will take place over the coming months.