Bogotá — Colombia’s presidential race took a dramatic turn Monday as the political far right secured a shock first-round victory, triggering an extraordinary crisis as incumbent President Gustavo Petro rejected the preliminary results, alleging massive electoral fraud and vowing not to recognize the outcome.
Abelardo De la Espriella, a 47-year-old far-right lawyer and vocal admirer of Donald Trump, Nayib Bukele and Javier Milei, won the first round with 43.7 percent of the vote — far exceeding expectations that had placed him second throughout the campaign. His opponent, Senator Iván Cepeda of the governing left, received 40.9 percent with 99 percent of polling stations counted. Colombia now heads to a runoff.
Within two hours of polls closing, Petro announced he would recognize only the final official count conducted e president and his candidate. “I call on the security forces, on the army of this nation, to activate the constitutional mechanism if this criminal, drug addict and miserable man intends to ignore the will of the Colombian people.”
Cepeda also rejected the preliminary results, citing “atypical voting patterns” in specific polling stations requiring clarification. A third-place finisher, Paloma Valencia of the center-right party aligned with former president Álvaro Uribe, captured 6.9 percent — a collapse that underscored the waning grip of Colombia’s political establishment. Roughly three million votes cast for also-rans are now the most sought-after prize in the country as both campaigns court endorsements ahead of the runoff.
The outcome sets Colombia on a sharply divergent path regardless of who prevails. De la Espriella has promised to eliminate armed groups within 90 days using air strikes, Israeli and US support and the destruction of coca crops. Cepeda has pledged to continue Petro’s social spending expansion, negotiate with remaining armed factions and address the structural inequality the outgoing president made the centerpiece of his administration.
The election commission has scheduled a runoff for late June. International observers have called for calm while awaiting the official count. Diego Vargas, Media Hook.