Trump-endorsed de la Espriella holds a slim lead in Colombia's election as his rival challenges vote

By — Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press By — Astrid Suárez, Associated Press Astrid Suárez, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/trump-endorsed-de-la-espriella-holds-a-slim-lead-in-colombias-election-as-his-rival-challenges-vote Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump-endorsed de la Espriella holds a slim lead in Colombia's election as his rival challenges vote World Jun 22, 2026 10:55 AM EDT BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Conservative political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella held a razor-thin lead Monday after Colombia's deeply polarized presidential runoff , which is being challenged by the ruling party's progressive candidate. De la Espriella, a business owner and lawyer who earned U.S. President Donald Trump's endorsement despite never having run for office, led progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda, taking 49.7% of the votes, with 99.9% of results released by electoral authorities. Cepeda, Petro's ally, earned 48.7% support. Election officials have not formally announced a winner. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. A victory by de la Espriella is expected to usher in policies that will reverse the agenda of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, including a controversial plan to hold parallel peace negotiations with illegal armed groups. Cepeda, Petro's protégé, had pledged to push forward that strategy and other social reforms if he won Sunday's vote. The election was colored by people's fears of a renewed internal conflict. "I will govern for all Colombians," de la Espriella, nicknamed "The Tiger," told thousands of supporters as he stood behind bulletproof glass in the northern city of Barranquilla on Sunday night. But his conciliatory tone changed as he spoke. "Pack your bags and prepare to exercise the opposition," he added. "Make no mistake, Mr. Cepeda. You already know how fiercely the tiger roars." Progressive candidate calls count 'unofficial and nonbinding' A person wears a shirt in support of Colombia's leftist presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda as they take part in a Sunday rally after the preliminary results of the runoff against right-wing candidate Abelardo De La Espriella, at Corferias, Colombia's largest polling station in Bogota, Colombia. Photo by Sergio Acero/Reuters Meanwhile, Cepeda told supporters in the capital, Bogota, that his campaign considered the count "unofficial and non-binding" and that his team will challenge results from more than 30,000 voting stations. No recount has flipped the results of a presidential election in Colombian history. "We will not allow democracy to be violated," Cepeda said. Petro also vowed to challenge the outcome. Sunday's winner will begin a four-year term Aug. 7. People in the western city of Cali protested hours after results became public. The vote count showed that the municipa