Colombians vote in a presidential runoff that pits an outsider against a progressive

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A profoundly divided electorate volition take Colombia’s adjacent president successful a runoff connected Sunday that pits a progressive against a blimpish outsider, with some candidates tapping into fears of a renewed interior struggle successful the country.

Voters volition take betwixt businessman and lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda, a lawmaker and heir to the governmental question of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, the nation’s archetypal leftist leader. The 2 defeated 9 different contenders successful a May 31 vote.

Both are pitching strategies that they accidental volition forestall the South American state from experiencing the nonstop merciless violence, specified arsenic car bombs, kidnappings, disappearances and forced displacements that Colombians lived with successful erstwhile decades.

De la Espriella is proposing a heavy-handed attack that has earned him the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Cepeda is promising to proceed Petro’s efforts, including attempts astatine establishing dialog with aggregate amerciable equipped groups adjacent though those efforts person mostly failed.

The 2 candidates besides are offering differing solutions for the country’s struggling wellness system, ballooning nationalist indebtedness and entrenched corruption.

“Right now, what worries maine is the polarization that exists betwixt us: determination are 2 precise utmost sides, and the unit is concerning,” John Manrique, a lawyer successful the capital, Bogota, said arsenic helium walked his dog.

“What I anticipation is that radical judge who won,” helium added. “Let’s judge it, careless of the side, and effort to scope a societal consensus. … Let’s not spell retired and fight.”

In the archetypal round, Cepeda earned 41% of the vote, portion de la Espriella garnered 44%, according to authoritative results. Petro, without evidence, sowed doubts successful the results aft Cepeda, who had consistently pb polls up of the May vote, did not triumph outright and adjacent finished down de la Espriella.

Fighting betwixt rebel groups plagues the nation

The predetermination comes 10 years aft Colombia signed a historical bid pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, oregon FARC, that had offered anticipation to interruption the nation’s vicious rhythm of warring betwixt rebel groups and the government.

But unit has since roared back, peculiarly arsenic astir rebel groups abandoned their ideologically driven combat for the fiscal benefits of cause trafficking.

Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides, the astir since astatine slightest 2015 and driven by clashes among amerciable equipped groups. Among those killed was blimpish statesmanlike hopeful Miguel Uribe. Extortions person besides soared, reaching 13,417 cases successful 2025, much than treble the fig tallied successful 2015.

More than 41 cardinal radical are eligible to ballot connected Sunday.

De la Espriella, a governmental newcomer nicknamed “The Tiger,” has promised to fiercely spell aft criminals and physique 10 mega-prisons, emulating the policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele that person lowered homicide rates but person fueled accusations of quality rights abuses.

Cepeda wants to transportation connected Petro's fraught signature program to execute “total peace” by negotiating pacts with guerrillas and transgression gangs. The heavy criticized strategy that Petro kicked disconnected successful 2022 took until Thursday to spot the archetypal equipped radical — 1 with astir 100 members — springiness up its weapons and statesman a resettlement process that volition pb to their reintegration into civilian life. Colombia's amerciable groups person much than 27,000 members.

Yamile Guevara, a retired teacher successful Bogota, said Petro's plans request much clip to carnivore results arsenic helium could not reasonably beryllium expected to marque lasting changes successful a struggle that has gone connected for six decades. She besides criticized what she described arsenic voters' perennial distrust of Colombia's near implicit its long-held relation with rebel groups.

“The near has ever been viewed negatively; it has been harsh, and galore radical person died,” Guevara, a Cepeda supporter, said. “So, 1 wonders what’s incorrect with radical who person forgotten past … however tin they not deliberation cautiously astir which campaigner they are going to elect?”

The lead-up to the runoff has seen an summation successful verbal attacks betwixt the candidates arsenic good arsenic accusations of fraud, vote-buying and intimidation.

Cepeda filed a ailment with the Colombian Attorney General’s Office and the International Criminal Court against de la Espriella, accusing him of having ties to paramilitary groups. De la Espriella has denied the accusation.

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