Colombians went to the polls on Sunday (May 31) to elect a new president in a runoff pitting leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, who inherits the policies of the current government, against far-right lawyer and independent candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who promises a crackdown on crime.
The two candidates advanced after besting 11 others in the first round on May 31. Official results show de la Espriella with 44% of the vote, while Cepeda secured 41%. President Gustavo Petro, without providing evidence, questioned the first-round results because Cepeda had led pre-election polls but failed to win outright and even trailed his rival.
Both candidates have centered their campaigns on stopping widespread violence — including car bombings, kidnappings, and disappearances that have plagued Colombia for decades. Yet their solutions lie at opposite ends of the political spectrum.
De la Espriella, nicknamed “The Tiger,” proposes a hardline approach, building 10 mega-prisons modeled after El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s policies, which have reduced homicides but drawn human rights criticism. He has the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Cepeda, meanwhile, promises to continue President Petro's efforts to hold dialogues with various armed groups, although most have failed so far. Petro’s criticized strategy began in 2022, and only on Thursday (May 28) did the first armed group — with about 100 members — lay down weapons to begin civilian reintegration.
Beyond security, the two offer divergent approaches to healthcare, public debt, and corruption. “I am worried about the polarization among us: two very extreme and violent sides. I hope people accept the winner. Let's accept, regardless of which side, and try to reach a social consensus,” said John Manrique, a lawyer in the capital Bogotá.
The election comes a decade after the historic peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which aimed to break the cycle of fighting between armed groups and the government. But violence has returned, especially as rebel groups abandoned ideological struggle to target financial gains from drug trafficking.
Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides — the highest since at least 2015 — due to clashes between illegal armed groups. Among the dead was conservative presidential candidate Miguel Uribe. Extortion cases also doubled from 2015, reaching 13,417 in 2025.
