Published on
22/06/2026 - 15:28 GMT+2
A year ago, the name Abelardo de la Espriella did not appear on any list of presidential contenders. No one in or outside Colombia had heard of him. Today, however, after the second round of elections and pending the final count, he has become the next president of Colombia.
A lawyer by profession, De la Espriella founded his movement, “Defensores por la Patria,” (Defenders for the Homeland) less than a year ago. In July 2025, he registered his party with a stated purpose: to block the left represented by Gustavo Petro and his successor, left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, who finished less than two points behind his rival.
His biography is not that of a career politician, and he has made precisely that his calling card. De la Espriella, 47, made his fortune at the head of his criminal law firm, where he represented controversial clients such as the Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab (currently detained in the United States) and David Murcia Guzmán, the mastermind behind the biggest pyramid scheme in the country.
