Colombia will hold a presidential runoff on June 21 after no candidate secured a majority in the May 31 first-round election, setting up a sharp contest between a right-wing outsider and a leftist senator aligned with outgoing President Gustavo Petro.
Conservative lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, a Catholic, won the first round with approximately 43.7% of the vote, followed by Senator Iván Cepeda with about 40.9%, according to preliminary results cited by FOX News. Neither candidate reached the 50% threshold required for outright victory, triggering the second round under Colombian electoral rules.
De la Espriella, running as an independent with the “Defensores de la Patria” (“Defenders of the Homeland”) movement, campaigned as a tough-on-crime figure promising stricter measures against violence, drug cartels, and what he has framed as failures of the current administration. He has expressed admiration for President Donald Trump’s style and policies, AP News reported.
De la Espriella, a husband and father, has also spoken about his Christian faith during the campaign. Video shared online showed him praying the Rosary with his family ahead of the election.
Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella prays the Rosary with his family ahead of Sunday’s elections.
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) May 31, 2026
Video: Abelardo de la Espriella pic.twitter.com/LRBDIEoNfB
According to AP News, Cepeda, from Petro’s left-wing Historic Pact coalition, has positioned himself as a defender of the government’s “total peace” approach, which emphasizes negotiations with armed guerrillas and criminal gangs.
The 63-year-old lawmaker and son of a now-deceased communist leader has also pledged to continue Petro’s economic agenda, including higher taxes on high earners, land transfers to conflict victims, and expanded income support for the elderly, poor families, and young people, Reuters reported.
The runoff will determine who succeeds Petro, Colombia’s leftist president, who is constitutionally barred from seeking another term and will serve until his four-year term ends Aug. 7. FOX reported that the election could carry major implications for U.S. interests in the region, including drug trafficking and migration.