Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right political outsider endorsed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, has narrowly won Colombia’s presidential runoff election held on Sunday, June 21, 2026, against left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. With over 99% of the vote counted, de la Espriella secured approximately 49.65% to 49.7% of ballots cast, while Cepeda took about 48.7%, a difference of roughly 246,000 to 250,000 votes [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
De la Espriella celebrated the result with supporters in Barranquilla, declaring: "Tonight marks the beginning of a new story for the nation, tonight a new era begins, a change of order. I'm going to govern for all Colombians. For those who voted for me, and for those who chose the other candidate" [1, 2]. He campaigned on promises to crack down on illegal armed groups, drug trafficking, and crime, pledging loyalty to Colombia’s 1991 constitution [1, 2, 8, 4, 6, 7]. Known by the nickname "El Tigre" (The Tiger), de la Espriella is a lawyer and entrepreneur with a provocative media persona [1, 5, 6].
Outgoing President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president, endorsed Cepeda but was constitutionally barred from seeking re-election [3, 9, 6, 7]. Petro has alleged irregularities in the preliminary vote count but presented no evidence, repeating claims made after the first round [3]. Petro urged: "Those polling stations must be immediately challenged. No president can be declared yet. It is the scrutiny process that determines who the president is" [3].
Cepeda, a human rights activist and son of a slain left-wing senator, has not conceded the race and is awaiting the official ballot-by-ballot verification before recognizing the outcome. He said, "Once the official canvass takes place and its final result is produced, and the corresponding verifications have been carried out, we will recognize the official result that emerges from that structure" [1].
The runoff involved over 41 million eligible voters, with preliminary tallies showing de la Espriella received about 12.9 million votes to Cepeda’s 12.67 million. Blank ballots accounted for around 1.6% of the vote [3, 6, 7]. The close margin reflects a deeply polarized electorate sharply divided between right-wing security and left-wing social reform agendas [10, 9, 5, 7].
Donald Trump hailed the result, tweeting, "He Won, BIG! We are tired of the killings in this country. And tired of the bureaucracy of this government. We have a president who will fight hard" and calling de la Espriella "a great president" with expectations for stronger U.S.-Colombia relations [1, 8].
The official vote verification process began after the runoff and remains ongoing at municipal and national levels, expected to conclude in the coming days [1, 2, 4]. Cepeda’s formal concession or any legal challenges will depend on the results of this scrutiny.
