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Colombian presidency heads to runoff that could redefine relations with the US

2026-06-01 07:48:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Colombian presidency heads to runoff that could redefine relations with the US

In a surprisingly strong showing, right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella will face leftist candidate Senator Iván Cepeda in June's runoff election to decide Colombia's presidency, setting the stage for a battle over the country's political future and the direction of its relations with key international partners, including the United States.

With more than 99% of votes counted in the first round of Sunday's presidential election, de la Espriella won the majority of ballots with 43.74% of the vote, falling short of the absolute majority needed to win the race outright.

Cepeda, who represents the left-wing Historic Pact coalition, was in second place with 40.90%. The left-wing Democratic Center candidate, Paloma Valencia, was far behind with 6.92%, according to preliminary results published by the National Civil Registry.

Valencia represented the Democratic Center party founded by former President Álvaro Uribe and became the first woman to win the party's presidential nomination. Shortly after the results, Valencia announced her support for de la Espriella, urging people not to let the "new communism" in the country continue.

The runoff, scheduled for June 21, will pit two deeply opposing political visions against each other in what is expected to be a highly polarized race.

Colombia's constitution bars incumbent leftist President Gustavo Petro from running for re-election. As the vote count neared its end, Petro said he did not accept the preliminary results and would wait for the results from the counting commissions.





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