Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella claimed victory in Colombia’s presidential runoff on Sunday after preliminary results showed him narrowly ahead of left-wing rival Iván Cepeda, with 49.6% of the vote.
With nearly all ballots counted, De la Espriella led Cepeda by roughly 250,000 votes, according to electoral authorities.
The wealthy lawyer and political outsider, known by supporters as El Tigre (“The Tiger”), is set to take office on August 7 if the results are confirmed.
Cepeda, who was backed by outgoing President Gustavo Petro — who was constitutionally barred from seeking reelection — acknowledged the preliminary outcome but urged caution, saying the official count had not yet been completed.
He also announced plans to challenge votes cast in approximately 33,000 ballot boxes, more than a quarter of those used nationwide.
