Colombia Election

Tough-on-crime outsider Aberaldo de la Espriella took the lead in Colombia’s presidential race in the first round of voting Sunday night, setting up a runoff with Iván Cepeda, an ally of Colombia’s outgoing President Gustavo Petro who questioned the results of the election. With no candidate taking an outright majority of Sunday's vote, the election will head to a second round in June. But Cepeda and Petro sowed doubt in the results of the first round, claiming without evidence that hundreds of thousands of votes were manipulated and that foreign actors manipulated the results of the election. Cepeda said he was waiting for electoral authorities to scrutinize the results before accepting the election.

Pro-Trump lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella leads Colombia’s presidential race after the first round of elections over the weekend. He won nearly 44% of the vote, surpassing progressive senator Iván Cepeda, who had led in polls but received less than 41%. De la Espriella, known for his tough stance on crime, is expected to gain more support in the June 21 runoff. His rise reflects a shift in Latin America towards leaders favoring heavy-handed crime policies. Cepeda, who supports peace negotiations with criminal gangs, faces a challenging path ahead. Experts say replicating El Salvador's security model in Colombia will be difficult.