Colombia’s far-right presidential candidate Espriella wins first round of vote ahead of runoff Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer and admirer of Donald Trump, has won the first round of Colombia’s presidential election, securing 43.7% of the vote. He will face senator Iván Cepeda, backed by the current left-wing president, in a runoff on June 21st. President Petro has questioned the preliminary results, alleging fraud and calling for an official scrutiny, claims that have been dismissed by election officials and analysts as baseless.

• Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer, won the first round of Colombia’s presidential election with 43.7% of the vote.
• Espriella will face senator Iván Cepeda, the candidate supported by President Gustavo Petro, in a runoff election on June 21.
• President Petro has alleged fraud in the preliminary results, claiming “800,000 additional people” were included in the count, a claim disputed by election officials.
• Espriella, who has never held public office, promises a “iron-fist” security strategy, contrasting with Petro’s “total peace” policy.
• Espriella is an admirer of Donald Trump, Nayib Bukele, and Javier Milei.