Colombia heads to runoff between leftist senator and right-wing lawyer
Colombians will vote Sunday in a runoff pitting far-left Iván Cepeda against far-right Abelardo de la Espriella, as both candidates promise different approaches to the country’s security and social challenges.
Colombians will cast ballots on Sunday in a runoff election that pits Iván Cepeda, a senator from the left-wing Pacto Histórico coalition, against Abelardo de la Espriella, a lawyer running on a conservative platform. The contest follows a first round in which Cepeda received 41% of the vote and de la Espriella 44%, prompting President Gustavo Petro to question the results despite the official tally.
Cepeda, who aligns himself with Petro’s peace agenda, says he will continue negotiations with illegal armed groups and pursue reforms in health care, public debt and corruption. De la Espriella, who has drawn comparisons to former U.S. President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, advocates a hard-line security strategy that includes building large prisons and a tougher crackdown on criminal networks.
The election occurs amid a surge in violence, with homicide figures reaching a decade-high last year and extortion cases more than doubling since 2015. Both candidates have faced accusations of ties to paramilitary groups; Cepeda filed complaints with the attorney general and the International Criminal Court, which de la Espriella has denied.
"Right now, what worries me is the polarization that exists between us: there are two very extreme sides, and the violence is concerning," said John Manrique, a lawyer in Bogotá, urging the public to accept the winner and avoid further conflict.
Observers note that the runoff reflects deep political divisions in Colombia, a country still grappling with the legacy of a 2016 peace accord with the FARC and ongoing activity by various illegal armed factions.
