BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, a millionaire political neophyte, will be Colombia’s next president after electoral authorities on Wednesday declared him the winner of Sunday’s runoff election.
The businessman and lawyer, whose ventures include a clothing line, wine and rum brands, and a restaurant, earned U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for office. He defeated progressive lawmaker
Iván Cepeda by 1 percentage point, or more than 251,000 votes.
The result effectively was an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a largely failed effort to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups.
Electoral authorities published all but a fraction of the vote count hours after polls closed Sunday. Petro and Cepeda did not accept those results, with the latter saying he would wait for a recount to do so. Authorities finished the recount before declaring de la Espriella’s victory.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia’s presidential election to Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative outsider who was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Election results showed de la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never run for office, defeated Cepeda, a lawmaker, by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes.
“We assume with serenity, responsibility, and absolute resolve — and let there be no doubt about it — the role that circumstances demand of us,” Cepeda said in an address to the nation. “We will exercise a democratic, vigilant and constructive opposition.”
The result effectively was an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a largely failed effort to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups under a plan known as “total peace.”
Electoral authorities published all but a fraction of the vote count hours after polls closed Sunday. Petro and Cepeda did not accept those results, with the latter saying he would wait for a recount to do so.
De la Espriella, 47, will begin a 4-year term Aug. 7. He proclaimed himself the winner Sunday and asked Cepeda and Petro to accept the results.
His victory adds Colombia to a growing list of countries that have turned to political outsiders in search for solutions to complex social, security and economic challenges.
The self-proclaimed representative of “the never-before-seen” promised voters fearful of renewed internal conflict to take a heavy-handed approach to combating violent crime with strategies borrowed from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s playbook, including building mega-prisons. Those tactics have lowered homicide rates in the Central American country but have fueled accusations of human rights abuses.
De la Espriella, nicknamed “The Tiger,” holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship, is a Trump supporter and a member of the Republican Party.
In a statement on Wednesday, de la Espriella's campaign acknowledged Cepeda’s concession and said de la Espriella's “purpose is to work for national unity, with the people and for the people.” The campaign also stated his government will be committed to guaranteeing “the right to political opposition and peaceful protest, within the framework of the Constitution, the law, and respect for democratic institutions.”
A day earlier, de la Espriella announced he is putting together his Cabinet. He also said he plans to add Colombia to the Trump-dubbed “Shield of the Americas,” a coalition of countries purportedly aimed at cracking down on criminal groups in Latin America.
More than 26 million people voted in the polarizing runoff, setting a historic record. Of those, over 426,000 people chose a third, no-name option on the ballot that allows voters to express dislike of both candidates. About 29,000 people cast blank ballots.
Cepeda, during his address to the nation, repeatedly expressed his intention to play an active role in the opposition once de la Espriella is sworn in. On Wednesday, he accepted a Senate seat reserved for the runner-up in the presidential election.
Cepeda, 63, is a philosopher and the son of a senator who was assassinated by military officers in 1994 during a stark moment of political violence in Colombia. The assassination led Cepeda to become a lifelong advocate for peace negotiations in the South American country, where an internal conflict has lasted decades.
“Today, we represent half of Colombia at the polls,” he said. “We are a fundamental part of the nation. We are a political, social, and cultural force present in every corner of the country.”
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