As a far-right candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella came in first place in the first round of elections for the Colombian presidencyand advanced to the second round of voting for the presidential seat. He has frequently shown favoritism toward U.S. President Donald Trump, and now he has finally received a response from Trump.
On June 2nd, local time, Trump posted a message on social media, saying: The results of this election are crucial for Colombias future and its relationship with the United States. Given Aveledo (de la Espiña)s outstanding achievements in his life, as well as his political support for me personally, I feel honored to offer him my most comprehensive and thorough endorsement and support.
According to AFP, after receiving Trumps support, Delaesplelia promised to strengthen ties with the United States. He said that if he were elected president, relations between Colombia and the United States would become unprecedentedly close.
Meanwhile, Trumps public support for far-right candidates has sparked a strong backlash from Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The left-wing president accused Trump of interfering in Colombias internal affairs.
When one country interferes in another countrys decisions, freedom ceases to exist, pleaded Petro. I call on all Colombians to exercise their right to vote in complete freedom.
On May 31 local time, the presidential elections in Colombia began. Preliminary results from the first round of voting showed that Rodrigo Londoño Esppleya, an independent candidate from the far-right political group Defenders of the Motherland, performed strongly, with 43.74% of the votes. However, he did not reach the absolute majority required to win outright. He will face left-wing candidate and senator Iván Cepeda in a runoff election on June 21, competing for the presidency.
Recent polls show that
The 47-year-old Dráas Pulelia is both a lawyer and a political outsider. He refers to himself as a tiger, likes to use foul language, and has a bad temper. He also claims to be an outsider who can break political norms.
He stood out as one of the strongest challengers to the ruling coalition. He has openly expressed support for and goodwill towards Trump.
This candidate, who claims to be a conservative nationalist, has a campaign platform focused on national security, law and order, and economic liberalization. He promises to take more aggressive measures against criminal organizations, strengthen security partnerships with the United States and Israel, implement tax cuts, and expand the scale of oil exploration and development.
Foreign media believe that
February 11, 2026, Bogotá, Colombia. Lawyer and right-wing presidential candidate Del Áspulelia (left); February 3, 2026, Bogotá. Left-wing presidential candidate Sepeda. IC Photo
The 63-year-old senator Sipeida is a seasoned left-wing politician and human rights advocate. He is also a close ally of Petro. During the election campaign, he advocated for continuing several policies implemented by Petros government. These policies include the Comprehensive Peace Strategy aimed at negotiating with various armed groups.
Sepedas campaign platform focused on social inclusiveness, human rights protection, land reform, and what he called a democratic revolution aimed at furthering the reforms initiated during the Petro administration. He characterized this election as a choice between maintaining and continuing these progressive reforms, or returning to traditional political practices.
According to Colombias constitution, the president serves a four-year term and cannot be re-elected. Therefore, the current president, Petro, is not eligible to participate in this election.
On May 31 local time, after the voting results were announced, Petro posted a message on social media, saying: The so-called preliminary voting results have no legal effect.
He pointed out that the voting algorithm should have remained locked during the election period, but it was violated three times. Additionally, there were 800,000 ID numbers in the system that were not listed in the official voter rolls, meaning there were two different lists of voters. Furthermore, data from some disputed polling stations indicated that hundreds of thousands of votes were illegally added to the system without any actual voters present.
On June 2 local time, the Colombian National Civil Registry issued a statement in response to President Petros questions regarding the electoral rolls, voting data, and the voting system during the presidential elections.
The registration office stated that the final voter list for the 2026 presidential elections will be officially finalized on April 30. A total of over 41.42 million voters are eligible to vote, so there is no issue related to the early closure of the voter list. Regarding the situation where some polling stations had high numbers of voters, the registration office explained that there were differences in the setup standards of different polling stations, and such data falls within normal ranges. In response to concerns about the voting system being altered, the registration office denied this claim, stating that the relevant time records only indicate the time at which the data became available to auditors from various political parties, and this does not constitute evidence of any software modifications.
CNN noted that the election scheduled for June 21 is considered to determine Colombias future political direction, as well as the countrys development in its relationships with important international partners, including the United States. This will lead to a direct confrontation between two completely different political visions. It is expected to be a highly polarized election campaign.
In the past, the United States was one of Colombias closest national security and economic partners. The relationship between Petero and Trump was once very tense, especially in areas such as immigration issues, anti-drug policies, and regional diplomacy. However, in recent months, both governments have taken steps to stabilize bilateral relations.
