Behind bulletproof glass: pro-Trump showman has edge as Colombia heads to run-off
Abelardo de la Espriella to face Ivan Cepeda in June 21 run-off following a violent and highly polarised first-round
Colombia’s first-round presidential vote on Sunday triggered a run-off between a pro-Trump showman and a leftist philosopher-turned-senator, after a security-dominated campaign that has been the most violent in over a decade.
Colombia’s electoral authority said right-wing hopeful Abelardo de la Espriella won 44 per cent of the vote, beating leftist favourite Ivan Cepeda with 41 per cent and a string of other candidates who trailed far behind.
It was a stronger-than-expected showing for 47-year-old De la Espriella – a pro-Trump lawyer, singer and clothier who calls himself “The Tiger” and has billed himself as a political norm-smashing outsider.
“I will kill myself for Colombia if I need to,” he said in an impassioned victory address while decked in a Colombia football jersey.
The campaign was marred by car bombs, drone attacks and the assassination of a leading presidential candidate and dozens of local political leaders.
Cepeda, who had been expected to top the vote, questioned the accuracy of initial results, but stopped short of claiming the election was rigged.