Demonstrators clash with riot police as they protest the preliminary results of the presidential runoff election in Cali, Colombia, on June 21, 2026. Photo: AFP
Protesters in Colombia’s third-largest city, Cali, burned American flags and clashed with riot police after a Trump-endorsed hard-right candidate won the presidential election by a razor-thin margin.
Police used tear gas to try to disperse a crowd of thousands, some of whom wielded bricks and bars in anger at the victory of Abelardo de la Espriella.
With almost all polling centres reporting, De la Espriella won 49.66 per cent of the vote versus left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda’s 48.70 per cent.
The 47-year-old’s victory will likely improve strained relations with Washington and extend a wave of rightist candidates who have swept to power across Latin America.
