Polls close in Colombia's presidential election
Summary
Colombia held the first round of its presidential election, with lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and senator Iván Cepeda leading the vote count. Since neither candidate won over 50% of the votes, they will face each other in a runoff election later in June.Key Facts
- Abelardo de la Espriella, known as "The Tiger," is leading with about 43% of the votes after 98% were counted.
- Iván Cepeda, a progressive senator and ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, has nearly 41%.
- Neither candidate reached the 50% needed to win outright, so a second round will be held in June.
- De la Espriella supports tough-on-crime policies similar to those of President Trump and leaders like El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.
- Cepeda plans to continue Petro’s peace efforts with armed groups, aiming for a peaceful resolution to Colombia's long-standing conflicts.
- The election comes amid renewed violence, including attacks and the assassination of a presidential hopeful last year.
- Paloma Valencia, a centrist candidate, received less than 7% and will not advance.
- The runoff election is seen as a choice between continuing peace talks or adopting a hardline stance against crime.
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