A Country Split in Half: Colombia's Presidential Runoff Comes Down to 247,000 Votes, de la Espriella Leads

A supporter of Colombia's presidential candidate for the Defensores de la Patria movement, Abelardo de la Espriella, waves a national flag as she celebrates the results of the presidential runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia on June 21, 2026. A flamboyant US-backed lawyer who has never held public office narrowly won Colombia's presidential runoff on June 21, swinging the country hard to the right on a promise to wage war against drug-running guerrilla groups. With more than 99 percent of polling centers reporting, Abelardo de la Espriella had 49.67 percent of the vote, an unassailable lead over his rival, left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda who trailed at 48.69 percent, according to official results. (Credit: Photo by Vanexa Romero / AFP via Getty Images)

Right-wing outsider Abelardo de la Espriella moved ahead of ruling-coalition Senator Iván Cepeda in Colombia's preliminary count Sunday night, holding a margin under one percentage point as the tally neared completion in one of the country's closest presidential finishes in recent memory. The result, if confirmed by the binding official scrutiny, would hand the presidency to de la Espriella and mark a sharp turn from the outgoing government of Gustavo Petro.

A wafer-thin lead