Colombia’s presidential vote is headed for a run-off between pro-Trump, left-leaning rivals
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Colombia’s far-right Abelardo de la Espriella will compete in a presidential run-off against leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda, the results of the first round of voting showed on Sunday.
The two men were separated by just a few percentage points with more than 97 percent of the votes counted, data from the national registry office showed, in a tight contest focused on security, economy and people’s policies.
De La Espriella got 43.7 votes and Cepeda got less than 41 percent, the data said.
De La Espriella – a lawyer who has never held an electoral position – wants to present himself as a staunch supporter of the crime of US President Donald Trump, and has been compared to Nayib Bukele from El Salvador for his style and policy proposals.
Describing himself as an outsider free from political burdens, De La Espriella, 47, proposed a tougher attack on illegal armed groups, the construction of 10 prisons, and reducing poverty through better education, health care and housing for the poorest.
Cepeda – a 63-year-old longtime senator and activist – has been leading in opinion polls, but polls suggest he will face tougher competition in the second round, if loyalist and moderate voters run out of candidates.
The low turnout in Sunday’s vote could give the candidates a chance to dominate, however, if they can convince more supporters to vote in the June 21 run-off.
Just over half of the 41 million eligible voters cast their ballots on Sunday, registration office figures showed.
Cepeda, the son of a slain Communist leader, has promised to pursue peace with illegal armed groups through dialogue, an approach that has brought little progress under the current leader, President Gustavo Petro.
And he plans to deepen reforms aimed at reducing inequality and poverty, including raising taxes on high earners, giving 1 million hectares (2.47 million acres) to victims of the country’s sixteen-year civil conflict, and expanding health care.
De La Espriella, who legally represents controversial figures including former Venezuelan minister Alex Saab, warned that Cepeda would ensure the continuation of Petro’s economic policies, including the ban on new oil projects, which have drawn criticism from politicians and investors.
The lawyer says he funded his campaign with his personal resources, without receiving donations from groups or big companies. Reuters could not independently verify that claim.
Paloma Valencia, a senator backed by former president Alvaro Uribe, was until recently the front-runner on the right wing in the race, but received less than 7 percent of the vote.
