Polls close in Colombia's presidential election

By — Megan Janetsky, Associated Press Megan Janetsky, Associated Press By — Astrid Suárez, Associated Press Astrid Suárez, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/polls-close-in-colombia-vote-with-espriella-and-cepeda-advancing-to-runoff Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Polls close in Colombia vote with Espriella and Cepeda advancing to runoff World Updated on May 31, 2026 6:49 PM EDT — Published on May 31, 2026 6:44 PM EDT BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and peace-builder Iván Cepeda were leading the vote counts in the first round of Colombia's presidential elections on Sunday, and are to face off in a presidential runoff in the South American nation later in June. De la Espriella, a newcomer known as "El Tigre, or "The Tiger" who has sought to portray himself as a tough-on-crime supporter of President Donald Trump, is leading the race with more than 43% of the votes after nearly 98% of the ballots were counted, Colombia's electoral authorities said on Sunday night. He fell short of the 50% of votes needed to win in the first round of voting, something that may spell trouble for his path to the presidency. READ MORE: Colombia accuses Ecuador of interfering in its general election He was tailed by Cepeda, progressive senator and an ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro who has promised to carry on a fraught push for "total peace." Cepeda scooped up less than 41% of the vote. Paloma Valencia, a candidate for Colombia's establishment party who pitched herself as a centrist, fell short of moving on to the next round with less than 7% of the vote. While Cepeda coasted comfortably ahead in polls throughout the campaign, the senator and de la Espriella were neck-and-neck on Sunday night, likely to spell trouble in the next round of election in June, where de La Espriella is likely to scoop up many of the voters that threw their support behind Valencia. The results in the second round of voting later this month are slated to set the South American nation on two sharply diverging paths, acting as a sort of compass for political shifts in Latin America at a time that the region has increasingly swung to candidates that have pushed for a more militaristic crackdown on criminal groups and aligned themselves with President Donald Trump. On one path, Cepeda has promised to continue Petro's progressive agenda and fraught push of trying to negotiate peace pacts with armed groups, following a plan that's likely to sharply contrast with Trump's vision for Latin America. On another, Espriella has promised to fiercely crackdown on criminal groups, following in a similar vein as El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in his war on gangs, which has fueled accusations of human rights abuses. In Colombia, a historic rightwing stronghold, Valencia's electoral loss dealt another blow to a once powerful political current known as Uribismo, indicating