Colombia Shifts Right

Right-wing outsider Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly won Colombia’s presidential runoff, defeating leftist senator Iván Cepeda in a race that ended the country’s recent period of left-wing rule. With virtually all ballots counted, preliminary tallies put De la Espriella just under 50% and ahead by roughly 250,000 votes, though Cepeda urged Colombians to wait for the final binding count and allies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro challenged the result. De la Espriella, a Trump-endorsed lawyer and businessman known as “El Tigre,” campaigned on a hardline security agenda that included bombing gang-held territory and building El Salvador-style megaprisons. The result signals a sharp rightward turn for a key U.S. ally at a time when Colombia faces worsening violence, cartel power and economic strain.