Progressive candidate concedes Colombian presidential election to outsider endorsed by Trump

By — Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press By — Astrid Suárez, Associated Press Astrid Suárez, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/progressive-candidate-concedes-colombian-presidential-election-to-outsider-endorsed-by-trump Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Progressive candidate concedes Colombian presidential election to outsider endorsed by Trump World Jun 24, 2026 2:43 PM EDT BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia's presidential election to Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative outsider who was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. READ MORE: Trump-endorsed de la Espriella holds a slim lead in Colombia's election as his rival challenges vote Election results showed de la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never run for office, defeated Cepeda, a lawmaker, by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes. "We assume with serenity, responsibility, and absolute resolve — and let there be no doubt about it — the role that circumstances demand of us," Cepeda said in an address to the nation. "We will exercise a democratic, vigilant and constructive opposition." The result effectively was an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro's government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a largely failed effort to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups under a plan known as "total peace." Electoral authorities published all but a fraction of the vote count hours after polls closed Sunday. Petro and Cepeda did not accept those results, with the latter saying he would wait for a recount to do so. De la Espriella, 47, will begin a 4-year term Aug. 7. His campaign did not immediately comment on Cepeda's concession. He proclaimed himself the winner Sunday and asked Cepeda and Petro to accept the results. His victory adds Colombia to a growing list of countries that have turned to political outsiders in search for solutions to complex social, security and economic challenges. The self-proclaimed representative of "the never-before-seen" promised voters fearful of renewed internal conflict to take a heavy-handed approach to combating violent crime with strategies borrowed from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's playbook, including building mega-prisons. Those tactics have lowered homicide rates in the Central American country but have fueled accusations of human rights abuses. De la Espriella, nicknamed "The Tiger," holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship, is a Trump supporter and a member of the Republican Party. On Tuesday, he announced he is putting together his Cabinet. He also said he plans to add Colombia to the Trump-dubbed "Shield of the Americas," a coalition of countries purportedly aimed at cracking down on criminal groups in Latin America. More than 26 million people voted in the polarizing runoff, setting a historic