Abelardo de la Espriella Edged Out Iván Cepeda in the First Round of Colombia’s 2026 Presidential Election

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Issue May 27-Jun 02 2026: In Colombia’s general elections on May 31, 2026, the right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella pulled out a surprise first round victory in the presidential contest over favorite leftist Senator Iván Cepeda. De la Espriella, a right-wing millionaire lawyer who vows to wield an iron fist against narco gangs, took 43 percent to the 41 percent for Cepeda, a leftist philosopher-turned-senator. The two will move on to the June 21 run-off to see who Colombia’s next president will be. Pundits had thoughts.

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