BOGOTÁ, Colombia — During a speech on Sunday night in Bogotá, Colombian presidential candidate Iván Cepeda said the preliminary vote count result was “not official or binding” and vowed “to challenge” it.
Read more Historic day for Colombians: Trump-backed De la Espriella heads for narrow presidential win
With 99.99% of the precincts counted, 48.7% of the votes were for Cepeda and 49.66% were for Cepeda’s right-wing opponent, Abelardo de la Espriella, according to the Colombian National Registry.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose four-year term ends on Aug. 7, also contested the election results.
“Neither can be proclaimed president. It is the scrutiny that determines who is the president. I obey the judges. Calm among the citizenry, please,” Petro wrote on X. “Reality gives us a country split down the middle, and foreign interference taking away our freedom. A National Agreement is imposed if we want to maintain the Homeland and peace in the years to come.”
In Bogotá, Edwin Dario Camacho, of The Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean, was concerned.
“The message must always be one of unity — that once election day is over, the result must be respected,” Camacho said in Spanish.
Sergio Fajardo, a former mayor of Medellin and a former presidential candidate, released a statement recognizing De La Espriella as the new president-elect.
“The voting outcome makes clear an indisputable reality: Colombia is deeply divided. Recognizing and accepting this reality is the first great responsibility of the president-elect,” Fajardo wrote on X. “This is the moment for leaders’ serenity, starting with President Petro, to call for common sense and prevent the division from turning into violence. It is also our collective responsibility to disarm spirits. The path to reconciliation must begin tonight.”
Read more Historic day for Colombians: De la Espriella moves ahead of Cepeda in close race
Cepeda, 63, a senator and human rights advocate, campaigned as the candidate who wants to protect the environment, continue negotiations for the surrender of armed groups, and prioritize welfare programs.
De La Espriella, 47, a defense attorney and businessman who campaigned as “The Tiger” with the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump, declared his victory on Sunday.
Rosalina Prieto, who lives in Bogotá, said she voted for Cepeda because De La Priella is an outsider. Victor Hernandez, who also lives in Bogotá, said he voted for De La Espriella because he wants subsidies to end.
As the law-and-order candidate, De la Espriella said he wants to open mega prisons, cut corporate taxes, restart oil exploration and fracking, and cut the spending on the government’s social programs.
“Today, democracy wins,” De La Espriella told reporters in Spanish after he voted in Barranquilla.
More than 41 million Colombians were eligible to vote, and over 26 million cast their ballots on Sunday, according to the Colombian registry’s data on the election results.
During the presidential election’s first round on May 31, De la Espriella had 43.73% of the votes, and Cepeda had 40.91% of the votes. About 70% of the voters in the U.S. chose De La Espriella then.
Read more Extreme heat expected again at the Grand Canyon after 3 hikers die in heat-related incidents
Related reporting
- Historic day for Colombians: Trump-backed De la Espriella heads for narrow presidential win
- Polls close in South Florida
- Polls open in South Florida
Torres contributed to this report from Miami.
