A right-wing lawyer who lacks any political experience — but does have President Donald Trump’s backing — appears to be Colombia’s next president. But his narrow victory is already triggering protests and expected legal challenges.
With almost all the ballots counted, Abelardo de la Espriella held 49.66% of the vote while left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda garnered 48.70%.
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Violent demonstrations broke out across the country after preliminary results came in. In Cali, demonstrators burned American flags and wielded steel bars, clashing with riot police, who used tear gas to try and break up the crowds. Protesters in the capital city Bogota set tires on fire and threw bricks at police.
The result is expected to face challenges from the current government’s allies in the days ahead.
“We will not allow … the rollback of the social gains we have achieved,” Cepeda told his supporters Sunday. “We will not allow democracy to be violated.”
‘We are beginning a new era’
De la Espriella has never held elected office. The dual U.S.-Colombian citizen ran on a tough-on-crime platform and has promised to build ten mega-prisons modeled after El Salvador’s notorious CECOT facility.
“We are beginning a new era!” De la Espriella told his supporters Sunday night. “For those who have sown violence, terror, drug trafficking, and corruption all these years, their time is up!”
During his campaign, De la Espriella said he would scrap peace talks with dissident groups that had been planned by the country’s current president, and launch a 90-day campaign of U.S.-backed airstrikes against them, according to CBS News.
President Donald Trump, who endorsed him earlier this month, celebrated the result on social media.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also praised the outcome, saying the Trump administration looks forward to working with De la Espriella’s government if the result stands.
Whoever ends up being the official winner will begin a four-year term on Aug. 7.
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