Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda conceded Colombia’s presidential election on Wednesday to Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative political outsider endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Official results indicated that De la Espriella, a 47-year-old businessman and lawyer with no prior electoral experience, defeated Cepeda, a sitting lawmaker, by a margin of roughly one percentage point—approximately 251,000 votes.
Cover image: © France 24 
“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 a televised address to the nation. “We will exercise a democratic, vigilant, and constructive opposition.”
The outcome serves as a stark repudiation of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s administration, whose policies Cepeda pledged to continue. Central to Petro’s tenure was a “total peace” initiative aimed at negotiating with multiple armed groups, an effort that largely failed to reduce violence.
Electoral authorities released nearly the complete vote count within hours of polls closing on Sunday. Both Petro and Cepeda initially refused to recognize the results, with Cepeda demanding a recount before conceding.
De la Espriella is scheduled to assume office on August 7 for a four-year term. His campaign did not immediately respond to the concession.
The victory adds Colombia to a growing roster of nations turning to political outsiders to address entrenched social, security, and economic crises. Branding himself as the representative of “the never-before-seen,” De la Espriella campaigned on a heavy-handed security platform modeled on the strategies of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, including the construction of mega-prisons. While those policies have drastically reduced homicide rates in El Salvador, they have drawn widespread allegations of human rights abuses.
Nicknamed “The Tiger,” De la Espriella holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship and is a registered member of the U.S. Republican Party.