Colombia Runoff: Cepeda vs. De la Espriella in Tight
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- Iván Cepeda and Abelardo de la Espriella advanced from a May 31 first round in which de la Espriella took 44% and Cepeda 41%, despite Cepeda leading in pre-vote polls, prompting Petro to allege fraud without evidence
- De la Espriella has earned the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump and is proposing a heavy-handed security platform that includes building 10 mega-prisons modeled on El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's policies
- Cepeda is pledging to continue Petro's embattled "total peace" strategy of negotiating with armed groups, an effort that only saw its first group — about 100 members — surrender weapons on Thursday
- Colombia recorded 14,780 homicides last year, the most since at least 2015, and extortions hit 13,417 cases in 2025, more than double 2015's tally, with more than 27,000 members still in illegal armed groups
- Cepeda filed a complaint with the Colombian Attorney General's Office and the International Criminal Court accusing de la Espriella of ties to paramilitary groups, which de la Espriella has denied
- The runoff comes 10 years after Colombia's historic peace pact with FARC guerrillas, and more than 41 million people are eligible to vote with polls open until 4 p.m.
- Conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe was among those killed in the violence resurgence, underscoring the personal stakes of the security debate driving the campaign
Why it matters: Whoever wins inherits a country where homicides hit a decade-plus high of 14,780 last year and extortions doubled since 2015, with more than 27,000 armed-group members still active. The Trump endorsement ties de la Espriella's victory directly to U.S. bilateral posture, while Cepeda's continuation of Petro's negotiating approach would extend an untested peace strategy. Over 41 million eligible voters will decide whether Colombia doubles down on Bukele-style militarized incarceration or attempts dialogue with armed factions.
