Trump fan, leftist through to Colombia presidential runoff
TOPSHOT - Colombia's presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, of the Salvadores de la Patria movement, gestures as he speaks to supporters behind bulletproof glass after a quick count of votes in the presidential election at the Ventana al Mundo monument in Barranquilla, Colombia, on May 31, 2026. (AFP)
Colombia’s first-round presidential vote on May 31 triggered a runoff between a pro-Trump showman and a leftist philosopher-turned-senator, after a security-dominated campaign that has been the most violent in over a decade.
Colombia’s electoral authority said right-wing hopeful Abelardo de la Espriella won 44 percent of the vote, beating leftist favorite Ivan Cepeda with 41 percent and a string of other candidates who trailed far behind.
It was a stronger-than-expected showing for 47-year-old De la Espriella, a pro-Trump lawyer, singer and clothier who calls himself “The Tiger” and has billed himself as a political norm-smashing outsider.
