{"id":14618,"date":"2026-06-22T08:27:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T08:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=14618"},"modified":"2026-06-22T08:27:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T08:27:39","slug":"trump-backed-populist-wins-tight-colombia-presidential-vote-sparking-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=14618","title":{"rendered":"Trump-backed populist wins tight Colombia presidential vote, sparking protests"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Barranquilla, Colombia <\/em>\u2014 A flamboyant U.S.-backed lawyer who has never held public office narrowly won Colombia’s polarizing presidential runoff <\/span>Sunday, swinging the country hard right and sparking violent protests.<\/p>\n

With almost all the ballots counted, Abelardo de la Espriella held 49.66 percent of the vote versus left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda’s 48.70 percent. <\/p>\n

The 47-year-old’s slender win<\/span> triggered demonstrations, but will ease ties with Washington and extend a regional right-wing wave centered on “iron fist” security policies. <\/p>\n

“We are beginning a new era!” he told supporters in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla from behind thick bulletproof glass.<\/p>\n

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\"Abelardo<\/span>

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Abelardo de la Espriella, candidate of the National Salvation Movement, celebrates in Barranquilla, Colombia, after narrowly winning Colombia’s 2026 presidential runoff election on June 21, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cristian Acosta \/ Anadolu via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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“For those who have sown violence, terror, drug trafficking, and corruption all these years, their time is up!” he said, echoing his vow to wage war against drug-running guerrilla groups. <\/p>\n

President Trump cheered the result, exclaiming “He Won, BIG!” as a host of right-wing leaders from across the Americas clamored to offer congratulations and support. <\/p>\n

But after a campaign marred by guerrilla bomb attacks and the murder of a leading conservative presidential candidate, there was a quick sign of how tough it will be for De la Espriella to unite this deeply divided nation. <\/p>\n

As night fell, thousands of protestors gathered in Colombia’s largest cities. <\/p>\n

In Cali, some burned American flags as others wielded steel bars and clashed with riot police, who tried to disperse the crowd with teargas. <\/p>\n

There was also unrest in the capital Bogota, where demonstrators burned tires and hurled bricks at police.<\/p>\n

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\"TOPSHOT-COLOMBIA-ELECTION-RUNOFF-VOTE-RESULTS-PROTEST<\/span>

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A man walks his bike as demonstrators stand in front of burning barricades during clashes over the preliminary results of the presidential runoff election in Bogota, Colombia, on June 21, 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Diego Cuevas \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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“We’ve already had many years of right-wing governments that care only about making the rich richer,” 26-year-old student Natalia told AFP. <\/p>\n

But elsewhere, there was elation.<\/p>\n

De la Espriella supporters poured onto the streets of several cities wearing the canary-yellow national football jersey he’d adopted as a campaign uniform. <\/p>\n

They waved flags, blew horns and expressed hope that “The Tiger,” as they call him, would bring security. <\/p>\n

“I’m very happy,” said 30-year-old supporter Daniela Oliveros in Barranquilla. “I believe a lot in the country, I believe a lot in freedom.” <\/p>\n

“Abelardo, at this moment, is giving us above all a sense of security, employment, and dignity,” she said.<\/p>\n

De la Espriella strikes reassuring tone<\/h2>\n

With only a few hundred thousand votes separating the two candidates — De la Espriella used his victory speech to try to calm his critics. <\/p>\n

“Mine will be an absolutely democratic government and a guarantor of freedom and institutional order,” he said, vowing to respect all races, religions and political stripes. <\/p>\n

“I will govern for all Colombians, for those who voted for me and for those who choose another candidate,” he added. <\/p>\n

His win marks a return to power for Colombia’s right wing, which has ruled for all but four of the last 200 years. <\/p>\n

It is likely to test Colombia’s fragile decade-old peace process. <\/p>\n

During the campaign, the dual U.S.-Colombian national told AFP he would scrap peace talks with dissident groups and launch a 90-day campaign of U.S.-backed airstrikes against them. <\/p>\n

In the 10 years since a landmark peace accord was signed with FARC guerrillas, much of Colombia has prospered. <\/p>\n

But cartels and dissident groups still control pockets of the country, cocaine exports are at an all-time high and Colombia remains one of the world’s most economically unequal countries. <\/p>\n

“Colombia’s best days are ahead,” said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adding that Washington “looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration.”<\/p>\n

Cepeda holding back on concession<\/h2>\n

His opponent, Cepeda, a 63-year-old leftist senator, stopped short of conceding defeat. <\/p>\n

“Once the count has been completed and its final result is known, and the corresponding checks have been carried out, we will acknowledge the official result,” he told supporters. <\/p>\n

For Cepeda to win, hundreds of thousands of votes would need to be overturned in a final count. The margin of error for the first count is usually in the low thousands.<\/p>\n

More than 26 million people cast ballots, or 63% of registered voters, and the difference between De la Espriella and Cepeda was a mere 247,000, The Wall Street Journal notes. Colombia’s population is 53 million.<\/p>\n

No recount has ever overturned the results of any presidential election in Colombia, The Associated Press points out.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

De la Espriella warned Cepeda to respect the vote, form the opposition and not to “even think about stoking violence.” <\/p>\n

“The Tiger can still bite you harder than he has bitten you at the ballot box,” he warned.<\/p>\n

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