Trump and Netanyahu congratulate de la Espriella, Cepeda campaign alleges fraud and calls for calm

On June 21, Colombians went to the polls to elect their next president. The run-off race was between far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and the progressive Iván Cepeda, of the Historic Pact Political Movement. The electoral contest and campaign period was marked by deep polarization, which has been reflected in the preliminary count.

De la Espriella’s campaign focused on radical anti-communist rhetoric, an uncompromising neoliberal economic agenda (promising a 40% reduction in the size of the state), and, appealing to fears of insecurity, proposed scrapping the peace agreements aimed at ending the internal armed conflict that has lasted several decades. On these three main issues, the far-right candidate backed by Washington blamed all current ills on the current government and, by extension, on Cepeda.

For his part, Cepeda stated that in this election, Colombia’s future was at stake, and that Colombia could go in two directions. One path would be a future of peace and life (thanks to his vision of a welfare state in harmony with nature), and the other, one of war and the destruction of the rights won in recent years, a future he associated with de la Espriella.

According to the preliminary count by Colombia’s National Registry, the body responsible for conducting the election tally, Abelardo de la Espriella holds a slight lead, with 49.66%, over Iván Cepeda, who, according to those figures, has reached 48.70%

In terms of votes, the National Registry reports that, with 99.99% of the votes counted in the quick count, the far right has garnered 12,959,542 votes, while the Pacto Histórico candidate has 12,708,712 votes. In other words, if the preliminary data are accurate, there would be a difference of just 250,000 votes – a very narrow margin between the two candidates.

Although the results are still preliminary, de la Espriella has claimed unequivocal victory. “National dignity has triumphed; hope has triumphed. Tonight is a wonderful night in which democracy shone and Colombia demonstrated its greatness. This is the night we usher in a new order: the ‘Patria Milagro,’” De la Espriella told his supporters last night.

For his part, Cepeda told his supporters that the results presented are preliminary and, therefore, not binding, so they will have to wait for the official tally, including those that will be contested by the Pacto Histórico.

In fact, Cepeda also announced that he will challenge more than 33,000 polling stations (out of the nearly 122,000 in existence) to determine with certainty who won the closest election in Colombian electoral history. Once these votes are properly reviewed, he continued, he will respect the official results.

For his part, President Gustavo Petro, speaking in the same vein, said he will await the official results and take all legal measures to investigate possible irregularities: “No one can be declared president. It is the vote count that determines who the president is. I will abide by the judges’ decisions. Please, let the public remain calm. The reality is that our country is split down the middle, and foreign interference is robbing us of our freedom. A national agreement is essential if we want to preserve our homeland and maintain peace in the years to come.”

The Colombian president also claimed that Israel was behind an alleged manipulation of the election software: “I requested an expert audit of the Bautista brothers’ software, and the Registrar did not allow it.”

The far right’s premature celebration

Without waiting for the official results, the international right wing has already begun celebrating the candidate’s presumed victory. De la Espriella, who also holds U.S. citizenship, stated that Donald Trump called him to offer his personal congratulations. Indeed, during the election campaign, the lawyer stated on several occasions that the United States would be his closest ally, suggesting that a potential government under his leadership would align with the Washington-led geopolitical order in the hemisphere, which is hardly surprising given his statements about seeking support from Washington and Tel Aviv to bomb guerrilla groups.

Trump’s congratulations seemed to set the tone for other members of his cabinet, like anti-Cuba and anti-communist hawk Marco Rubio, right-wing legislators such as María Elvira Salazar and Bernie Moreno, who went to Colombia to observe the elections and express their steadfast support for de la Espriella.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated de la Espriella and said he looks “forward to working with you to strengthen the bond between Israel and Colombia. Friends of Israel keep winning. Viva to the Isaac Accords!”

The rest of the Latin American presidents aligned with Washington were quick to publicly congratulate the far-right lawyer. Argentine President Javier Milei congratulated De la Espriella: “Today, the majority of Colombians chose the path of economic freedom, prosperity, and unwavering security, and said ‘ENOUGH’ to transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. Freedom is advancing throughout Latin America, and there is no turning back.”

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa joined in the congratulations; he had expressed his direct support for the far right during the campaign: “Today, Colombia chose order over impunity. Congratulations to Abelardo de la Espriella on this victory. We share the conviction that our region deserves security, progress, and governments that confront crime without excuses.”

Chile’s conservative president, José Antonio Kast, echoed the sentiment in his post on X: “I congratulate Abelardo De la Espriella, Colombia’s president-elect, on his resounding electoral victory. A new era of freedom is beginning for Colombia that will allow the country to regain security and prosperity.”

Another victory for the far right?

However, despite the messages of congratulations, the electoral and political situation in Colombia remains uncertain. Just as is currently the case in Peru, the near future looks set to be filled with controversies, challenges, and recounts between the far right and progressive forces.

Both elections could radically alter the region’s geopolitical landscape in favor of Washington and its allies. Colombia and Peru are two massive South American countries that control significant economies and boast thousands of kilometers of Pacific coastline. If Keiko Fujimori were to win in Peru and Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia, the entire Pacific coast of South America would be controlled by governments aligned with Washington (including Chile and Ecuador, already allies of the Trump administration) – a significant development given the ongoing trade conflict between China and the United States.