It's boiling in Colombia. The president rejects the preliminary results of the first round of elections
“We will defeat tyranny and absolutism! We have reached the second round thanks to over 10 million Colombians,” wrote X de la Espriella on the platform. The political outsider, who calls himself a “tiger”, announces a tough crackdown on crime and does not hide his sympathy for US President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Petro, the leftist president of Colombia, announced that he did not recognize the results of the preliminary vote count and would wait for the official results, approved by the courts. He emphasized that the preliminary results had no legal force and accused the company responsible for these calculations of irregularities.
Colombia elects a president
Cepeda issued a similar statement, announcing that he would defeat de la Espriella in the second round “without any doubt.” He accused his opponent of xenophobia, misogyny and fascism, and as he spoke, hundreds of his supporters chanted: “Right – yes, right – no!”
De la Espriella commented harshly on Petro and Cepeda's statements. — Don't you dare insist on not recognizing the results, or the nation will rise up and punish you. “You are a couple of thugs that we will retire,” he told a crowd of supporters in the city of Barranquilla, speaking from a bulletproof cage to emphasize his security message. He also appealed “to the United States and democratic countries to supervise the second round” of the elections.
A victory for de la Espriella in the second round would mean a political shift to the right in yet another Latin American country. Colombia would join the growing ranks of countries ruled by right-wing or far-right Trump allies. The elections in Colombia take place at a time when the US administration is trying to expand its influence in Latin America.
