Colombia faces uncertainty as the presidential election moves to a runoff. Outgoing President Gustavo Petro cast doubt on the election process, claiming issues with the software used for vote counting. Despite counting issues, right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella leads with over 43% of the vote, while left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda follows with just over 40%.
President Petro, backing Cepeda from the Pacto Histórico party, expressed concerns about 800,000 IDs being improperly added to the software. Cepeda also noted discrepancies, suggesting votes were miscounted. He emphasized this in a speech in Bogotá, stating, “Today, we secured 10 million votes that were miscounted in Colombia.”
The National Civil Registry is responsible for revealing preliminary election results. Historically, preliminary results achieved high precision, reaching 99.8% accuracy in the congressional election count earlier this year. Juanita Goebertus from Human Rights Watch supported the electoral system, labeling it “independent and trustworthy.” She urged the international community to support Colombia’s electoral process.
The upcoming runoff on June 21 brings Cepeda and de la Espriella head-to-head. Cepeda, known for his role in negotiating Colombia’s 2016 peace deal, will face de la Espriella, who aligns himself with U.S. President Donald Trump and promises to reduce crime. De la Espriella’s aggressive stance is inspired by El Salvador’s anti-gang tactics. He stated, “We will defeat tyranny and absolutism.”
Centrist candidate Paloma Valencia, from the Centro Democrático party, fell short in the election with under 7% support. She endorsed de la Espriella, suggesting her voters might shift toward him in the runoff.
The election reflects feelings about Petro’s leadership, occurring a decade after the historic peace agreement with FARC. Violence has resurfaced, with criminal groups intensifying attacks. Last year, political leader Miguel Uribe Turbay was tragically shot amid the unrest.
Relations between Petro and Trump, previously tense, appeared to improve following a private Oval Office meeting. Meanwhile, U.S. officials have shown allegiance to de la Espriella. Sen. Bernie Moreno highlighted the importance of Colombia’s elections and plans to oversee the upcoming runoff to ensure its safety.
Petro condemned Moreno’s comments about the election process, stressing the importance of non-interference. U.S. lawmakers, including Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, have endorsed de la Espriella, praising his leading performance.