Colombia runoff pits Cepeda’s left against de la Espriella’s right
Voters will choose between Ivan Cepeda’s pledge to extend Petro-era policies and Abelardo de la Espriella’s hardline security platform.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Colombians vote on June 21 in a presidential runoff that Al Jazeera and The Associated Press describe as a choice between extending President Gustavo Petro’s left-wing agenda and shifting sharply to the right. The contest pits Senator Ivan Cepeda, the nominee of the governing Historic Pact coalition, against Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right criminal defence lawyer running with the Defenders of the Homeland Party.
De la Espriella enters the second round with a narrow first-round lead and an edge in recent polling, according to Al Jazeera and AP. He won 43.7 percent of the May 31 vote, while Cepeda received 40.9 percent, leaving both short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff.
First-round result and polling
Al Jazeera and AP reported that Cepeda had led pre-election surveys before the first round, making de la Espriella’s finish an upset. President Petro challenged the preliminary result on social media, saying he did not accept it and accusing private firms of manipulating the count in favor of the right-wing candidate.
Cepeda initially appeared to share Petro’s doubts, but later said there were no irregularities in the first round, according to Al Jazeera and AP. The European Union’s Election Observation Mission also said it had found no evidence of wrongdoing.
AtlasIntel released a June 13 poll showing de la Espriella at 50.9 percent and Cepeda at 43.1 percent, according to Al Jazeera. The same poll found 5.9 percent of voters were undecided or planned to nullify their ballots, a bloc that could affect the result.
The candidates’ platforms
Cepeda has campaigned on continuing Petro’s efforts to reduce social and economic inequality, Al Jazeera and AP reported. On security, he supports Petro’s “Total Peace” policy of talks with armed groups, while saying it should be reformed.
Petro’s security strategy has drawn criticism amid rising violence, according to Al Jazeera and AP. The International Committee of the Red Cross said displacement caused by violence doubled in the past year.
Cepeda’s family history has shaped his politics, Al Jazeera and AP reported. His father, a senator, was killed in 1994 in an attack widely believed to have been carried out by government-backed paramilitaries, and Cepeda later advocated for victims of what he called state crimes.
De la Espriella has no previous political experience, a point he has used to present himself as an outsider and businessman, according to Al Jazeera and AP. He has founded a clothing brand and a restaurant in South Florida, and has also released classical-pop albums as a tenor.
His security agenda would end negotiations with armed groups and use military force, including bombing camps, Al Jazeera and AP reported. He has also proposed building 10 mega-prisons and restarting aerial fumigation of crops used to make cocaine.
What is at stake
Al Jazeera and AP reported that de la Espriella’s program includes withdrawing Colombia from some international bodies, including the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. He has also proposed limits on access to abortion as part of a conservative social agenda.
His supporters say a tougher line is needed to reduce violence. The AP quoted voter Maria Eugenia as saying that “some people are going to have to fall to clean up what needs to be cleaned up.”
Critics warn that the policy could worsen Colombia’s long conflict. Sociologist Juan Acevedo told AP that the risk is a return to a period when people saw “bullets and more war” as the only solution.
The race has also drawn attention from Washington. US President Donald Trump endorsed de la Espriella on Truth Social on June 10, praising his stance on crime, drug trafficking and immigration, while calling Cepeda a “Radical Left Marxist,” according to Al Jazeera and AP.
De la Espriella thanked Trump in a social media post, Al Jazeera reported. US Representative Jesus “Chuy” Garcia later called Trump’s endorsement “shameless interference” and said the United States should respect Colombia’s democracy and sovereignty.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.