Colombia's presidential race heads to runoff as outsider De la Espriella edges Cepeda in first round

Colombians voted on 31 May in the first round of the presidential election to choose a successor to Gustavo Petro, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term, sending the contest to a 21 June runoff between two starkly opposed candidates. With more than 23 million ballots cast — turnout of roughly 56% of registered voters — right-wing National Salvation candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a lawyer and political outsider, led the 13-candidate field with 43.7%, ahead of left-wing senator Iván Cepeda of the Historic Pact on 40.9%.

Because no candidate reached the 50% threshold, the top two advance to the second round. The result confounded opinion polling, which had suggested a lead for Cepeda; De la Espriella's first-place finish exceeded expectations and set up a runoff that CNN reported could redefine Colombia's relations with the United States.

The two finalists embody a stark ideological divide: De la Espriella campaigned as a hard-right break with Petro's government, while Cepeda seeks to consolidate and extend the left's project. Authorities later certified the first-round results on 4 June, according to a US Congressional Research Service summary.