Pro-Trump lawyer leads Colombia’s presidential election
Bombastic pro-Trump lawyer Aberaldo de la Espriella pulled ahead as a leader in Colombia’s race for the presidency in the first round of elections over the weekend, capitalising on a growing appetite for heavy-handed crackdowns on criminal groups across Latin America.
But the second-place finisher, progressive senator Ivan Cepeda, and his ally, President Gustavo Petro, questioned the results of the election Sunday night without providing evidence.
De la Espriella rapidly gained traction in the lead-up to Sunday’s election, winning nearly 44 per cent of the vote, and surpassing progressive senator Ivan Cepeda, who had consistently led polling throughout the campaign and won less than 41 per cent of the vote. The two are slated to continue on to a run-off election on June 21, where de la Espriella is expected to scoop up additional votes from Colombians who supported other conservative candidates in the first round.
Cepeda will face an uphill battle in the runoff, said Sergio Guzman, a Colombian political analyst. “Abelardo de la Espriella won the first round. In other words, that’s a shift in public opinion that is very difficult to overcome. So now Abelardo is emerging as the likely favourite to win.”
De la Espriella, known as “El Tigre” or “The Tiger,” has never held office in Colombia and prided himself on living a luxurious life in Italy before becoming deciding to run for president. He pitched himself as an outsider who would cozy up to President Donald Trump and follow El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s war on gangs, which has driven down homicide rates but fuelled accusations of human rights abuses.
“I will wipe out narcoterrorism and those who I’ve declared a military target like cockroaches, like rats. I will unleash upon them the wrath of God never seen before,” De la Espriella said.
