Colombia Has Elected This Far-Right Millionaire Endorsed By Trump As President By A Razor-Thin Margin
De la Espriella is against abortion and same-sex adoption and wants to introduce religious education in public schools.
Colombia has elected far-right millionaire Abelardo de la Espriella, who was endorsed by US president Donald Trump, as its next president by a razor-thin margin, marking another significant shift to the right in Latin America.
47-year-old De la Espriella is a criminal defense lawyer with no political experience.
He built his career by representing several controversial, high-profile figures involved in major drug trafficking and corruption cases, as well as others involved in scandals linked to right-wing paramilitaries.
He had run on a campaign against Colombia’s first and only leftist president Gustavo Petro’s government.
Petro, a former rebel fighter, came into office in 2022 focused on tackling inequality and pursuing a strategy of “total peace” in the country.
For decades, guerrilla groups, drug gangs and paramilitary offshoots had fought each other and the government for control of Colombia’s drug routes and rural territory, leading to widespread violence, displacement and insecurity for civilians.
Instead of bombing them, Petro offered ceasefires and a path to amnesty, hoping to address the root causes of poverty and inequality.
But the armed groups used the ceasefires to expand their territory, and the number of active fighters had more than doubled by the end of Petro’s term.
De la Espriella, meanwhile, has vowed to end talks with the groups and crush them in 90 days with US backing.
He promised to “disembowel the left” and rule by emergency powers, bypassing Congress, and build at least 10 mega-prisons, modeled on the approach of El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele.
Dubbed “the tiger,” he also models himself after Argentina’s far-right president Javier Milei, vowing to slash social spending, cut taxes and withdraw from international bodies like the UN.
He also promised to restore ties with Israel, which Petro had cut over the genocide in Gaza, and move Colombia’s embassy to Jerusalem.
De la Espriella is against abortion and same-sex adoption and wants to introduce religious education in public schools.
Like many recently elected right-wing Latin American presidents, De la Espriella received the endorsement of US President Donald Trump.
On Sunday, June 21, with 99% of the votes counted, De la Espriella won by a narrow margin, obtaining 49.7% of the votes, beating his left-wing opponent Iván Cepeda by less than one percentage point in the tightest margin in Colombia’s history.
"I will govern for all Colombians, for those who voted for me and for those who chose the other candidate,” De la Espriella said after his win.
Trump congratulated De la Espriella on the results, writing, “He won, BIG!” on his platform, Truth Social.
Colombia now adds to a growing trend in Latin America of voters swinging hard to the right after electing left-wing governments, following Argentina and Chile.
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