Cover image for De la Espriella's law-and-order platform wins Colombia vote after earning Trump's support
World 22 Jun 2026

De la Espriella's law-and-order platform wins Colombia vote after earning Trump's support

Abelardo de la Espriella, characterized by critics as far right, had earned the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump, who had said he would stop illegal immigration and crack down on crime and drugs.

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Abelardo de la Espriella, characterized by critics as far right, had earned the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump, who had said he would stop illegal immigration and crack down on crime and drugs. Abelardo "The Tiger" de la Espriella, a criminal defence attorney with no prior political experience and an eccentric public persona, is on track to win Colombias presidential elections Sunday night by a thin margin. The 47-year-old De la Espriella led his rival, Sen. Ivan Cepeda, 63, by just under one per cent of the vote, or just over 250,000 votes with 99.9 per cent of votes counted. Abelardo De La Espriella wins Colombia election, continuing rightward trend in Latin America The outsider de la Espriella, who rose to prominence by pushing a heavy-handed, zero-tolerance campaign against criminal groups, warned Cepeda, as well as current President Gustavo Petro, to not question the results. "Petro and Cepeda, refrain from triggering a social explosionrespect the popular verdict, democracy, there will be no third round in the streets," de la Espriella told supporters from behind bulletproof glass in his hometown of Barranquilla, on Colombias Atlantic coast. Caravans of de la Espriella supporters paraded through the streets of Bogota as the results became apparent, many blowing horns and waving Colombian flags.

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