Colombia’s outgoing president expressed doubts on Sunday regarding the national elections. Iván Cepeda, the candidate he supports, is set for a runoff against right-wing opponent Abelardo de la Espriella. Neither candidate secured over 50% of votes in the initial round. With over 99% of votes counted, de la Espriella, from Defensores de la Patria—a party he founded—led with over 43%. Cepeda, representing the incumbent Pacto Histórico party, followed with just over 40%.
President Gustavo Petro, who backs Cepeda, challenged the preliminary count from the electoral authority. He argued that private companies’ software counting votes had flaws, rendering results non-binding. Petro alleged that 800,000 IDs were incorrectly included, resulting in discrepancies.
Sen. Ivan Cepeda expressed similar concerns about vote discrepancies outside a Bogotá polling station on Saturday.
Cepeda declared in Bogotá, “We secured 10 million votes wrongly counted in Colombia,” indicating a discrepancy requiring verification.
The National Civil Registry provides preliminary results before final figures. Hernán Penagos, its chief, noted in March that this year’s congressional election count reached a remarkable 99.8% accuracy compared to the final numbers. Juanita Goebertus, Human Rights Watch’s Americas director, affirmed the electoral system’s trustworthiness. She urged international support for the National Civil Registry, emphasizing the importance of respecting election results.
The upcoming runoff will feature Cepeda, who participated in Colombia’s 2016 peace deal negotiations, and de la Espriella, a political outsider and ally to former U.S. President Donald Trump, pledging to combat crime. De la Espriella announced after advancing to the runoff, “We will defeat tyranny and absolutism.” Known as “The Tiger,” he lauded the supporters who voted for him, steering him to the June 21 runoff.
Paloma Valencia, from the conservative Centro Democrático party and protégé of former President Álvaro Uribe, failed to advance with less than 7% of votes. Her voters may back de la Espriella, challenging Petro’s policies. Following her defeat, she endorsed de la Espriella.
This election comes ten years after Colombia’s peace pact with FARC, aiming to end conflict between rebel groups and the government. Violence has resurged, climaxing during this election season. Criminal groups have escalated attacks, including drone strikes. Last June, politician Miguel Uribe Turbay was killed during a rally.
Petro, Colombia’s first modern-era leftist president, has often clashed with Trump but seemed to reconcile during a February meeting. They reportedly “got along very well,” with Petro receiving a signed copy of Trump’s book.
U.S. officials, however, spotlighted de la Espriella while warning against voting for Cepeda. Sen. Bernie Moreno flagged the election’s importance, citing potential military interventions like in Venezuela. Moreno plans to observe the upcoming runoff to ensure its legitimacy.
Petro cautioned Moreno on making political comments during oversight, calling it interference. Other U.S. lawmakers, such as Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, endorsed de la Espriella ahead of the vote. Salazar and others commended de la Espriella for leading Sunday’s polls and pledged to monitor the final election round.
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