Colombia: The 'Tiger's' victory signals a rightward shift
Key takeaways
- With the election of Abelardo de la Espriella, an ultra-right-wing outsider has won the presidential runoff in Colombia for the first time.
- The margin of about 250,000 votes is the narrowest in the history of Colombian presidential elections.
- De la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer, entrepreneur and political newcomer, will succeed Gustavo Petro, the country's first left-wing president.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
With the election of Abelardo de la Espriella, an ultra-right-wing outsider has won the presidential runoff in Colombia for the first time. The tight victory marks a political shift and could trigger new conflicts.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Fuxn Colombia's new president Abeldardo de la Espriella is likely to change the country's ecomic and political course Image: Cristian Acosta/Anadolu/picture alliance Advertisement Colombia has elected a new president, and the result has the potential to transform the country for the long term. According to preliminary results, far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella has won the presidential runoff by a narrow margin with 49.66% of the vote, edging out the left-wing ruling party candidate Ivan Cepeda, who received 48.7%.
The margin of about 250,000 votes is the narrowest in the history of Colombian presidential elections.