We show you our most important and recent visitors news details Pro-Trump outsider to face Petro ally Cepeda in Colombia runoff in the following article
Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BOGOTA — Colombia's presidential race heads to a June 21 runoff after right-wing outsider Abelardo de la Espriella finished narrowly ahead of leftist senator Ivan Cepeda with almost all ballots counted. The closely contested election centers on security, economic policies, and the future direction of the country.
While polls tipped Cepeda to finish ahead of his right-wing challenger, official results showed that he trailed, with 41% of votes compared to De La Espriella's 43.7%.
Cepeda will now face De la Espriella, an admirer of US President Donald Trump, in the runoff on June 21 as neither candidate recieved more than 50% of the vote to win outright on Sunday.
The campaign was plagued with violence, including drone strikes, kidnappings, homicides and the assassination of a presidential candidate at a rally last year.
Both men offer differing visions for how to solve Colombia's violent internal armed conflict that has lasted for decades but has resurged in recent years.
Cepeda is the son of a murdered communist leader Manuel Cepeda Vargas, and an ally of current President Gustavo Petro. He has promised to pursue peace with illegal armed groups through negotiations.
He also plans to deepen reforms meant to reduce inequality and poverty, including by raising taxes on high-income earners, granting 1 million hectares of land to victims of the country's six-decade internal conflict, and expanding healthcare coverage.
De La Espriella is a lawyer and businessman who dubs himself "El Tigre", the tiger. He has heavily criticised Petro's negotiations with armed groups and advocated a tough military crackdown on crime, including closer co-operation with the United States, bombing cartels with US support, more powers for the military and possible mass trials.
He has pledged to build 10 mega-prisons in the jungle in the style of El Salvador's hardline right-wing President Nayib Bukele who, many commentators have observed, De La Espriella has modelled his beard as well as some of his policies on. He has also said he would drastically shrink the state.
After topping the vote, De La Espriella said in the runoff he would "defeat tyranny, absolutism", calling the result a "triumph for those of us who have never experienced living off the state's teat".
Meanwhile, Cepeda said that he would not comment until the count was verified by judges.
Paloma Valencia, the moderate conservative who finished in third place on less than 7%, has since endorsed De La Espriella.
President Petro, who endorsed Cepeda, said he did not "accept the preliminary count results" and that he would wait for final results reviewed by judges. He alleged irregularities in the vote, including claiming that "hundreds of thousands of votes were added" - without providing any evidence.
Electoral authorities said the voting day had proceeded "normally and safely".
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