Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Tiago Rogero in Bogotá

Far-right millionaire wins Colombia’s razor-tight presidential election

A smiling man in a yellow Colombia football jersey and straw hat salutes with his hand to his forehead
Abelardo de la Espriella, who defeated leftwing senator Iván Cepeda, has promised to adopt an iron fist approach against criminal groups. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

A Trump-admiring far-right millionaire lawyer and self-styled “outsider” has defeated a leftwing senator by a razor-thin margin to win Colombia’s presidential runoff, in an election that promises to mark a dramatic shift in the country’s decades-long armed conflict.

With 99.99% of ballots counted in the preliminary vote tally, the far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella had secured 12.96m votes, or 49.66%, just 250,830 more than the leftist senator Iván Cepeda, who received 12.7m votes, or 48.7%. A further 1.6% of ballots were cast blank.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.