Who is Abelardo de la Espriella? Pro-Trump outsider to face Petro ally Cepeda in Colombia presidential runoff | WION Decodes

Colombian right-wing leader Abelardo de la Espriella ‌is set to compete in a runoff election for president on June 21 after he came at the top in the first-round elections. He will be up against leftist senator Ivan Cepeda. While Cepeda is an ally of the current president Gustavo Petro, Espriella ‌is pro-Trump. The two men were separated by just a few percentage points with more than 97 per cent of votes counted, data from ​the country's national registry office showed. Lawyer De La Espriella received 43.7 per cent of the votes and Cepeda, a ⁠long-time senator and activist, held just under 41per cent , the data showed.

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Who is Abelardo de la Espriella?

Abelardo de la Espriella, who has never held elected office, and is being termed an outsider calls himself an admirer of US President Donald Trump. He uses the outsider tag as an accolade to convince the voters that he is “free from political baggage.” A criminal lawyer by profession, De La Espriella legally represented controversial figures ​including former Venezuelan minister Alex Saab. His campaign is focussing on security proposals, a smaller government, and economic reforms. He has also proposed a tough offensive against illegal armed groups, the construction of 10 megaprisons, and poverty reduction through better education, healthcare and housing for the poorest. In 2025, he launched his political movement “Defenders of the Homeland” and later formalised his presidential candidacy with the support of conservative sectors and the National Salvation Movement. He has questioned the negotiations initiated by Gustavo Petro's government with armed groups and proposes a security policy based on strengthening the armed forces, building new prisons, increasing penalties, and combating drug trafficking. The lawyer has said that he has financed his campaign with his own resources, without receiving donations from parties or large companies.

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Who is Cepeda?

Cepeda. the leftist candidate is a 63-year-old lawmaker who led the opinion polls and will now face Abelardo de la Espriella. Cepeda is the son of a murdered communist leader Manuel Cepeda Vargas, and an ally of 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 (2.47 million acres) to victims of the country's six-decade internal conflict, and expanding healthcare coverage.