Colombians to vote in presidential run-off pitting leftist against hardliner

Run-off predetermination sees leftist Ivan Cepeda and far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella vying for the presidency.

Colombians are heading to the polls to take their adjacent president successful a run-off election, pitting a leftist heir to the country’s progressive authorities against a far-right outsider promising a crackdown connected crime.

The ballot takes spot connected Sunday, erstwhile much than 41 cardinal eligible voters volition determine betwixt lawmaker Ivan Cepeda and transgression defence lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, aft the brace emerged from a tract of 11 candidates successful a first-round ballot connected May 31.

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Both candidates are framing their campaigns astir preventing a instrumentality to the benignant of wide unit – car bombings, kidnappings, disappearances – that has scarred Colombia successful the past decades, though their projected solutions beryllium astatine other ends of the governmental spectrum.

De la Espriella is proposing a heavy-handed attack that has earned him the endorsement of United States President Donald Trump.

The governmental newcomer, nicknamed “The Tiger”, has promised to fiercely spell aft criminals and physique 10 mega-prisons, emulating the policies of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele that person lowered homicide rates but prompted accusations of quality rights abuses.

Cepeda is promising to proceed President Gustavo Petro’s efforts, including attempts astatine establishing dialog with aggregate equipped groups, adjacent though those efforts person mostly failed.

The heavy criticised strategy that Petro kicked disconnected successful 2022 took until Thursday to spot the archetypal equipped radical – 1 with astir 100 members – springiness up its weapons and statesman a resettlement process that would pb to its reintegration into civilian life.

The 2 candidates are besides offering differing solutions to the country’s struggling wellness system, ballooning nationalist debt, and entrenched corruption.

“Right now, what worries maine is the polarisation that exists betwixt us: There are 2 precise utmost sides, and the unit is concerning,” John Manrique, a lawyer successful the capital, Bogota, said.

“What I anticipation is that radical judge who won,” helium added. “Let’s judge it, careless of the side, and effort to scope a societal consensus. … Let’s not spell retired and fight.”

In the archetypal round, Cepeda earned 41 percent of the vote, portion de la Espriella garnered 44 percent, according to authoritative results.

Petro, without evidence, formed uncertainty connected the results aft Cepeda, who had consistently led polls earlier the May vote, did not triumph outright and adjacent finished down de la Espriella.

A decennary since the FARC bid deal

The predetermination comes 10 years aft Colombia signed a historical bid pact with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, oregon FARC, which had offered anticipation to interruption the nation’s vicious rhythm of warring betwixt equipped groups and the government.

But unit has since roared back, peculiarly arsenic astir rebel groups abandoned their ideologically driven combat for the fiscal benefits of cause trafficking.

Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides, the astir since astatine slightest 2015 and driven by clashes among amerciable equipped groups. Among those killed was blimpish statesmanlike hopeful Miguel Uribe.

Cases of extortion person besides soared, reaching 13,417 successful 2025, much than treble the fig tallied successful 2015.