Colombia's runoff: a united right behind De la Espriella faces a divided left
Key takeaways
- De la Espriella was the most-voted candidate on May 31, with 43.74% against Cepeda's 40.90%.
- At the polls, however, Valencia drew only about 6%.
- With that momentum, De la Espriella has doubled down on his digital, confrontational strategy, in which he labels left-wing leaders bandits and has warned he will prosecute them if he reaches the presidency.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The first of the three campaign weeks ahead of Colombia's presidential runoff, set for June 21, has been marked by a contrast: a right that had failed to unite for the first round ended up aligned behind far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, while the left of Senator Iv n Cepeda and President Gustavo Petro has struggled to coordinate its effort. De la Espriella was the most-voted candidate on May 31, with 43.74% against Cepeda's 40.90%.
The right's realignment was swift. De la Espriella, a criminal lawyer with no prior electoral career, prevailed even though months earlier former President lvaro Uribe had shut him out of the Democratic Center, whose March internal process had been won by Senator Paloma Valencia. At the polls, however, Valencia drew only about 6%. After the vote, Valencia, several rivals from that consultation and Uribe himself backed De la Espriella. We are keeping our word, we will vote for him and we ask people to vote for him and for Colombia, Uribe wrote on X. The candidate also received the support of US President Donald Trump.
With that momentum, De la Espriella has doubled down on his digital, confrontational strategy, in which he labels left-wing leaders bandits and has warned he will prosecute them if he reaches the presidency. His vice-presidential running mate, former minister Jos Manuel Restrepo, handles the more measured settings and dialogue with businesspeople and economists, in a clear division of roles.