MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Monday, June 22nd 2026 - 13:24 UTC
”The electoral campaign is over, the divisions are over (...) and the supreme hour of service to the homeland begins,” De la Espriella said
Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella delivered a victory speech on Sunday in Barranquilla, in which he proclaimed himself the winner of Colombia's presidential runoff according to the preliminary count and called for national unity, while the official tally remained under way and his rival, left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, conditioned recognition of the result on the definitive count.
Before a crowd of supporters, De la Espriella centered his address on reconciliation. ”The electoral campaign is over, the divisions are over (...) and the supreme hour of service to the homeland begins,“ he said, assuring that there would be no ”victors or vanquished.“ The lawyer, who reaches the presidency without prior experience in public office, promised to ”defend the Constitution with extreme coherence“ and guaranteed respect for those who did not vote for him: ”There will be no retaliation, no persecution, because in a democracy there are no irreconcilable enemies.“
