A pro-Trump lawyer from Barranquilla who calls himself “El Tigre” just upended Colombia’s presidential race.
Abelardo de la Espriella finished first in Sunday’s first-round vote with roughly 44 percent, forcing a June 21 runoff against Sen. Iván Cepeda, who pulled about 41 percent. Pollsters had Cepeda ahead. They were wrong.
De la Espriella ran on a simple promise: End the coddling of cartels and armed groups that defined the last four years under President Gustavo Petro. Under Petro, cocaine production hit record highs, armed groups expanded their territory, and border violence surged to its worst level in years, displacing tens of thousands of people.
Candidates faced drone strikes and kidnapping attempts. Presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot at a rally last year and died of his wounds in August. Petro’s “total peace” policy, negotiating ceasefires with guerrilla factions and criminal organizations simultaneously, didn’t bring peace. It brought more of the same, and Colombians noticed.
De la Espriella has pledged to hit criminal organizations with military force, build large jungle prisons modeled on what Bukele used to gut the gangs in El Salvador, and pull the state back from the sprawl Petro built over four years. After finishing first Sunday night, he told supporters in Barranquilla:
“We advanced to the runoff thanks to the more than 10 million Colombians who answered the roar. In 21 days, we will make history.”
He also called on the United States to watch the runoff closely:
“We will defend democracy by reason or by force.”
Cepeda has pledged to keep “total peace” going, expand welfare programs, and redistribute land to conflict victims. The cocaine kept flowing, the armed groups kept growing, and tens of thousands kept getting displaced. His pitch is to stay the course.
Petro refused to accept the preliminary results, claiming without evidence that “hundreds of thousands of votes were added” to the tallies. Election officials said voting went normally and safely.
Context matters too. Ecuador’s conservative President Daniel Noboa, who has run joint military operations against cartels with U.S. support, announced a deal with de la Espriella on June 1 to drop tariffs on Colombian goods in exchange for the extradition of Ecuadorean criminals sheltering in Colombia and a joint fight against narco-trafficking. Colombia’s foreign ministry called it interference in the election. Noboa didn’t apologize. Across Latin America, country after country has moved right in recent cycles: Ecuador, Argentina, El Salvador, Chile. Colombia, the region’s biggest cocaine producer and a decades-long flashpoint for cartel violence, has been the conspicuous holdout. That may be about to change.
Read More: Trump-Style Anti-Cartel Candidate Gains Ground in Colombia Election
Trump Now Turning Tensions Into Talks With Colombia’s President Petro
A de la Espriella win in June would have real consequences for Washington. He wants close security cooperation with the U.S., aligns with Trump’s approach to the region, and would slot naturally into the “Shield of the Americas,” Trump’s growing alliance with right-leaning Latin American governments targeting cartel networks. Cepeda wants the opposite: distance from Washington, less cooperation on counter-narcotics, and continuity with the Petro government that spent four years needling the U.S. at every turn. Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine producer. Washington has a stake in who wins.
Colombians vote again on June 21. El Tigre needs a majority.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
Help us continue to report on the administration’s peace through strength foreign policy and its successes. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
