Trump-backed ‘Tiger’ wins Colombian election

Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella has beaten left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda by a slim margin, according to preliminary results

Colombians elected pro-Trump lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella in Sunday’s presidential runoff, according to preliminary results, steering the country back to the right after four years under its first left-wing president, Gustavo Petro.

With 99.9% of the ballots counted, de la Espriella was leading left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda by fewer than 250,000 votes, or roughly one percentage point – a much narrower margin than in the first round in May.

Both candidates ran campaigns aimed at courting undecided voters and boosting turnout, which rose from 57% to more than 63%.

Cepeda, 63, a close ally of Petro, had promised to continue peace talks with armed guerrilla groups that have fought the Colombian state for more than half a century. He had also pledged to expand social welfare programs and introduce anti-corruption measures.

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De la Espriella, 47, a political newcomer who calls himself “The Tiger,” campaigned on a hardline law-and-order platform. He vowed to end negotiations with armed groups and launch a broad military offensive against guerrillas, drug traffickers, and organized crime.

He had also promised a sweeping crackdown on crime and an overhaul of the penal system, including mega-prisons and longer sentences – proposals that have drawn comparisons to El Salvador’s controversial President Nayib Bukele and his mass-incarceration security model.

US President Donald Trump enthusiastically endorsed de la Espriella during the campaign, urging Colombians again on Wednesday to vote for the “Smart, Strong, and Tough Leader.”

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De la Espriella has been critical of Petro, under whom relations between Colombia and the US – its biggest trade partner – have significantly deteriorated.

Petro, who is constitutionally barred from running again, has criticized Trump’s mass deportation policies, extrajudicial strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats, and revival of the Monroe Doctrine, leading to online feuds between the two leaders.

The outgoing Colombian president also sharply criticized Trump’s commando raid on Venezuela and the kidnapping of its leader, Nicolas Maduro, in January, a move that de la Espriella had openly welcomed.