Colombia has woken up with a new elected president after one of the closest elections in recent years. The far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has won the second round of the presidential elections over the official candidate Iván Cepeda by just one percentage point, a difference that maintains political uncertainty while the final scrutiny continues.
With 99.99% of the tables informed, De la Espriella has obtained 49.66% of the votes, compared to the 48.70% achieved by Cepeda. In absolute terms, the candidate of the Defenders of the Homeland movement has received 12,959,542 supports, while the representative of the left and political heir of the outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, has added 12,708,712 votes. The difference between the two amounts to 250,830 votes.
The victory confirms the predictions that placed De la Espriella as the favorite after having also been the candidate with the most votes in the first round held on May 31, when he obtained 43.74% of the votes compared to 40.9% for Cepeda.
De la Espriella is proclaimed winner
Even before finishing the pre-count, Abelardo de la Espriella proclaimed himself president-elect and celebrated the support received at the polls. “Today a new stage begins,” he said in a message spread through social networks. The leader thanked the trust of the nearly thirteen million Colombians who supported his candidacy and that of his running mate, José Manuel Restrepo.
During his speech he once again resorted to the campaign slogan with which he has presented himself in recent months, ensuring that “the miracle homeland will be a reality” and committing to “rebuild the homeland” to return it “to the place of greatness that it deserves.” In addition, he called to recognize the electoral result and begin a new political stage in the country.
Cepeda appeals to more than 30,000 polling stations
The response of the socialist candidate has been much more cautious. Iván Cepeda has acknowledged the existence of a first result favorable to his rival, but has insisted that this is preliminary data that is not yet official or binding.
For this reason, it has announced the challenge of more than 30,000 polling stations and has asked to wait for the final count before closing the race. The same position has been maintained by the outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, who has recalled that the final result will be the one that officially determines who will occupy the Presidency of Colombia during the coming years.
Political reactions
The first reactions have not taken long to arrive from different sectors of the Colombian political spectrum. One of the most forceful has been former president Álvaro Uribe, whose party had expressed its support for De la Espriella ahead of the second round. Uribe has celebrated the victory of the far-right candidate and has assured that he will lead a Government of “democratic recovery” for all Colombians.
Former president Juan Manuel Santos has also congratulated the winner and wished him success in the task of governing. Santos has taken the opportunity to demand national unity and has asked all political forces to work together for a more prosperous and peaceful Colombia. Iván Duque has spoken along the same lines, who has highlighted the work of the National Registry and has defended the cleanliness and transparency of the electoral process.
A divided country
The narrow margin of victory reflects the strong political polarization that Colombia is experiencing. The difference of just one percentage point between both candidates leaves a country practically divided into two blocks and anticipates a legislature marked by political confrontation.
