CORAL GABLES, Fla. — More than 70% of Colombian voters in the United States voted for Abelardo de la Espriella, a supporter of President Donald Trump, according to the country’s national registry.
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After six days of early voting and election day on Sunday, 216,105 Colombians voted for a presidential and vice presidential candidate at precincts in the U.S., including South Florida.
There were 155,816 who voted for de la Espriella, 47, who has also expressed a deep admiration for Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s aggressive security policies and a plan to build 10 mega-prisons.
There were 32,324 who voted for Iván Cepeda, a left-wing socialist who plans to continue President Gustavo Petro’s policies and diplomatic negotiations with the remaining Marxist guerrilla fighters.
There were 17,507 who voted for Paloma Valencia, a center-right Democrat who lost on Sunday night, and expressed support for de la Espriella’s pro-business and law-and-order policies.
There were 7,525 who voted for Sergio Fajardo, the former mayor of Medellin. There were 1,267 who voted for Claudia López, the former mayor of Bogotá.
De la Espriella, who has been campaigning as “The Tiger,” had 54% of the votes at consulates around the world. After Espriella won 44% of Colombians’ votes, Cepeda, who won 41%, and Petro demanded an audit.
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“Only when the vote-counting commissions have fully clarified what happened will we comment on tonight’s results,” Cepeda said in Spanish before a crowd of supporters in Bogotá.
Cepeda and de la Espriella both delivered speeches attacking each other as supporters of narcotraffickers and criminals.
“Let the United States of America and democratic parties monitor this runoff election. I will lead this battle,” de la Espriella said during his speech in Spanish in Barranquilla. “I will be Colombia’s best warrior.”
build 10 mega-prisons, echoing the war on gangs policy of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, which has driven down homicide rates but fueled accusations of human rights abuses.
“Today’s election isn’t just important for us, it’s important for all of Latin America,” said Juan Acevedo, a 62-year-old sociologist walking out of a voting station in Colombia’s capital on Sunday morning. “Whoever wins here will suggest to the region if progressive policies will continue or if things are going to return to the right.”
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Report from Bogotá
Report from Coral Gables
