Colombia Presidential Election Heads to Runoff Between De La Espriella and Cepeda
7 verified3 unconfirmed3 contested
Colombia’s presidential election is headed to a runoff after no candidate secured a majority in the first round of voting on Sunday. Abelardo de la Espriella, a right-wing outsider who calls himself “The Tiger” and has aligned himself with U.S. President Donald Trump, led the field with approximately 44% of the vote. Iván Cepeda, a left-wing senator and close ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, finished second with about 41%. Outgoing President Petro and Cepeda both questioned the integrity of the results without providing concrete evidence. The election is widely seen as a referendum on Petro’s progressive policies and the 2016 peace deal with FARC guerrillas, as violence has surged in recent years. The runoff is scheduled for June.
What’s verified
No candidate won outright in the first round of Colombia’s presidential election, sending the race to a runoff in June.
Abelardo de la Espriella led the first round with approximately 44% of the vote, ahead of Iván Cepeda with approximately 41%.
De la Espriella is a right-wing outsider who calls himself “The Tiger” and has aligned himself with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Cepeda is a left-wing senator and close ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, who has promised to continue Petro’s peace negotiations with armed groups.
President Petro and Cepeda both questioned the integrity of the election results without providing concrete evidence.
The election is viewed as a referendum on Petro’s policies, including the 2016 FARC peace deal.
Violence has surged in Colombia ahead of the election, including drone strikes and the fatal shooting of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay in June 2025.
Where accounts differ
The exact vote percentages vary slightly across sources: one put de la Espriella at 44% and Cepeda at 41%, another at 43.7% and 40.9%, and a third reported de la Espriella with more than 43% and Cepeda with just over 40%.
One source reports Petro claimed that 800,000 IDs were improperly added to the vote-counting software, while another reports he claimed “hundreds of thousands” of votes were manipulated without specifying a number.
One source states the runoff will be held on June 21, while the others only indicate a date in June.
Not yet confirmed
The exact runoff date is reported by one source as June 21, but not confirmed by others.
Several U.S. lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), have endorsed de la Espriella according to one report.
Human Rights Watch’s Americas director called Colombia’s electoral system “independent and trustworthy” and criticized Petro’s doubts, according to one source.
Key figures
Abelardo de la Espriella, Iván Cepeda, Gustavo Petro, Miguel Uribe Turbay, Nayib Bukele (referenced), Paloma Valencia (mentioned in one source)
Sources: abcnews.com, NBC News, marginalrevolution.com
