Cepeda, de la Espriella advance in Colombia’s presidential election
Key takeaways
- The left-wing senator and far-right newcomer will face each other in a runoff on June 21, with security a top issue.
- As polls closed on Sunday, the two candidates surged ahead in the vote tally, quickly extinguishing the hopes of right-wing Senator Paloma Valencia, a former frontrunner.
- As of Sunday afternoon, with 99 percent of the votes tallied, de la Espriella took the lead, with 43 percent of the ballots cast in his favour.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The left-wing senator and far-right newcomer will face each other in a runoff on June 21, with security a top issue.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Supporters of Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella celebrate the first-round results in Barranquilla, Colombia, on May 31 [Charlie Cordero/Reuters]Published On 31 May 202631 May 2026Far-right outsider Abelardo de la Espriella will face left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda in the runoff for Colombia’s presidential election next month.
As polls closed on Sunday, the two candidates surged ahead in the vote tally, quickly extinguishing the hopes of right-wing Senator Paloma Valencia, a former frontrunner.