Abelardo de la Espriella, right-wing millionaire backed by Trump, declared winner of Colombia's presidential runoff election
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Abelardo de la Espriella, right-wing millionaire backed by Trump, declared winner of Colombia's presidential runoff election
June 24, 2026 / 7:10 PM EDT / CBS/AP
Add CBS News on GoogleConservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, a millionaire political neophyte, will be Colombia's next president after electoral authorities on Wednesday declared him the winner of Sunday's runoff election.
The businessman and lawyer, whose ventures include a clothing line, wine and rum brands, and a restaurant, earned President Trump's endorsement despite never having run for office. He defeated progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda by 1 percentage point, or more than 251,000 votes.
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.
Studies have found that Petro's attempted peace negotiation policies have resulted in the expansion of power and membership of armed criminal groups. Cepeda has participated in and continued throughout the campaign to promote negotiations with guerrillas and cartels.
The issue has been particularly salient for low-income families living near fields of coca, the shrub used to make cocaine, as human rights organizations documented more than 50 massacres in Colombia just this year.
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. Authorities finished the recount before declaring de la Espriella's victory.
De la Espriella's victory adds Colombia to a growing list of countries that have turned to political outsiders in search of solutions to complex social, security and economic challenges.
Similar to Mr. Trump, de la Espriella was seen as a combative political outsider. He got into multiple clashes many considered disrespectful, especially with women journalists, during the campaign. He was also known for using pyrotechnics during his campaign events
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 during the campaign proposed building 10 maximum-security mega-prisons inspired by El Salvador's CECOT model. De la Espriella has envisioned prisoners being held "10 stories underground," surviving on "bread and water." He has also echoed Bukele's justification for limiting due process, claiming the left cares more about the rights of criminals than their victims. He has also promised to resume the halted aerial fumigation of coca fields with glyphosate and to take down small aircraft and sink boats carrying drugs.
Earlier Wednesday, Cepeda conceded Colombia's presidential election to de la Espriella and accepted a Senate seat reserved for the runner-up in the presidential election.
"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."
De la Espriella, 47, will begin a four-year term Aug. 7.
In a statement on Wednesday, his campaign said the president-elect's "purpose is to work for national unity, with the people and for the people." The campaign also stated his government will be committed to guaranteeing "the right to political opposition and peaceful protest, within the framework of the Constitution, the law and respect for democratic institutions."
A day earlier, de la Espriella announced he was 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.
Historically, Colombia has been the United States' top ally in counternarcotics and one of its most important trade partners in the Western Hemisphere. But U.S.-Colombia relations deteriorated sharply under Petro. In 2025, Mr. Trump formally determined that Colombia had "failed demonstrably" in its counternarcotics commitments and threatened military strikes on the country's land.
The State Department withdrew Petro's visa to the U.S. and the Treasury sanctioned him personally. Tensions between Mr. Trump and Petro cooled somewhat after the two met at the White House in February, during which Mr. Trump described his Colombian counterpart as "terrific."
Still, Mr. Trump gave de la Espriella his "Complete and Total Endorsement," and warned that "The results of this Election are very important to the future of Colombia and its relationship to the United States," leading Petro to accuse the president of interfering with his country's election.
Petro told CBS News earlier this month the disagreements between his government and the White House were "because we are progressives, because we are on the left, and because we disagree on issues like Gaza."
More than 26 million people voted in the polarizing runoff, setting a historic record. Of those, over 426,000 people chose a third, no-name option on the ballot that allows voters to express dislike of both candidates. About 29,000 people cast blank ballots.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
