Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia's presidential runoff with 12.96 million votes (49.66%), defeating left-wing Senator Iván Sepeda after more than 99.99% of ballots were counted, according to Colombian electoral authorities. His victory is seen as part of a broader right-wing wave in Latin America.
With more than 99.99% of precincts reporting, Colombia's electoral authorities confirmed that right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a millionaire attorney who admires Donald Trump, defeated left-wing Senator Iván Sepeda by a margin of roughly 250,000 votes. De la Espriella has pledged to move Colombia's embassy to Jerusalem and restore diplomatic ties severed under outgoing President Gustavo Petro.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Monday, de la Espriella's win marks a dramatic political shift for Colombia and the region, with pro-Israel candidates recently winning in Honduras and Chile. Outgoing President Petro has refused to concede, alleging without evidence that Israel rigged the vote — a claim de la Espriella has dismissed. Israel's Foreign Ministry hailed the result as a "strategic shift."
De la Espriella is expected to be inaugurated in August. The precise timeline for the Jerusalem embassy move has not yet been announced.
3 developments
- StrongLeft-wing candidate concedes Colombia's presidential election
- DevelopingAbelardo de la Espriella expected to be sworn in as Colombia's president in Santiago de Cali
- DevelopingColombia president-elect de la Espriella vows no ties with nations disrespecting democracy
- DevelopingColombia president-elect de la Espriella gives organized crime one month to surrender
Source and signal
- Open-source intake