Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella of the political movement Defenders of the Homeland arrives to vote at a polling station during the first round of the presidential election, in Barranquilla, Colombia 31 May 2026;
Credit: REUTERS/Charlie Cordero
BOGOTA, (Reuters) - Colombian right wing outsider Abelardo de la Espriella is poised to compete in a runoff in the country's presidential race against leftist senator Ivan Cepeda, data from the country's national registry office showed on Sunday 31 May 2026, after no candidate reached the more than 50% support needed to avoid a second round with a majority of votes counted.
De la Espriella and Cepeda were running extremely close in tallies, with the right wing lawyer notching 44.2% support and the long-time senator and activist 41%.
