Abelardo de la Espriella, a hard-line right-wing candidate, and Ivan Cepeda, an ally of Colombia’s first left-wing government, face off in the presidential election's second round on Sunday. Their duel will determine whether the country takes a radical turn or stays its current course amid resurging violence between armed groups. Follow the election live with FRANCE 24’s Bogota-based team.
Colombians choose their next leader on Sunday. The second round of the presidential election pits far-right millionaire Abelardo de la Espriella, a political newcomer backed by US President Donald Trump, against leftwing Senator Ivan Cepeda, who is close with outgoing President Gustavo Petro.
The essentials:
- Polls in Colombia will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (local time) for the more than 40 million citizens registered to vote in the country.
- An additional 1,420,000 Colombians living abroad are eligible to cast their ballots in 67 countries.
- After voting in Barranquilla, De la Espriella predicted "we are going to defeat the regime" — referring to Gustavo Petro's ruling party — and repeated the gestures and slogans of his aggressive campaign.
- After casting his ballot in Bogotá, Cepeda called for "democratic behavior" and urged Colombians to "build a future that we want to be shared."
- In the first round, which saw a turnout of 57.88%, De la Espriella (Defensores de la Patria) received 10.3 million votes (43.78%), edging out Cepeda (Pacto Histórico), who tallied 9.7 million (40.98%).
- The Caribbean coast, the urban vote, and abstentionist voters could be decisive factors in Colombia's runoff , which will also closely watch the youth vote .
Follow our live coverage of Colombia's historic election day with our team in Bogotá. 👇🏽
