Colombia holds a polarized presidential runoff on June 21st between left-wing Iván Cepeda and right-wing Abelardo de la Espriella. Cepeda supports continuing peace negotiations, while de la Espriella, who won the first round and is endorsed by Donald Trump, proposes a hardline military approach. Against a backdrop of a six-decade conflict that has victimized 10 million people, voters face a stark choice on the country's future security and peace strategy.
Colombia presidential runoff election
- ▪In the first round of voting, Iván Cepeda won majorities in coastal regions and Bogota, while Abelardo de la Espriella won in central departments
- ▪A June 13 AtlasIntel poll indicated Abelardo de la Espriella led Iván Cepeda with 50.9% to 43.1% of voter support
- ▪Colombia's presidential run-off election is scheduled for June 21st between left-wing Senator Iván Cepeda and right-wing challenger Abelardo de la Espriella
- ▪Outgoing President Gustavo Petro is constitutionally barred from running for re-election
- ▪In the first round of voting on May 31, Abelardo de la Espriella won 43.7% of the vote, ahead of Iván Cepeda's 40.9%, forcing a runoff
Armed conflict victim experiences
- ▪More than 10 million people, or one in five Colombians, are registered as victims of the country's six-decade armed conflict
- ▪The International Red Cross stated in May that the impact of armed conflict on civilians in Colombia reached its worst point in a decade over the past year
- ▪Sigifredo López, a former hostage of FARC guerrillas for seven years, was the sole survivor of a 2007 massacre of 11 fellow captive lawmakers
- ▪Blanca Nubia Monroy's 19-year-old son was among the victims of the "false positives" scandal, killed by soldiers in 2008
Candidate security policy contrasts
- ▪The National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group announced a temporary ceasefire so as not to interfere in the presidential election
- ▪Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella proposes a hardline security approach, including ending negotiations, bombing armed group camps, and building 10 mega-prisons
- ▪De la Espriella's platform includes restarting aerial fumigation to destroy coca crops and has been compared to the policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele
- ▪Left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda supports continuing President Gustavo Petro's "Total Peace" policy of negotiating with armed groups
Political polarization over violence
- ▪U.S. Representative Jesus “Chuy” Garcia described Trump's endorsement as "shameless interference" in Colombia's election
- ▪Former U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Abelardo de la Espriella, calling Iván Cepeda a "Radical Left Marxist."
- ▪The election is framed as a choice between dialogue and reform versus a hardline militarized strategy
- ▪Farmers in peasant reserve zones (ZRCs) fear a de la Espriella government would prioritize large landowners and agribusiness over environmental protection
False positives extrajudicial killings
- ▪As a senator, Iván Cepeda accused former president Alvaro Uribe of collaborating with right-wing paramilitary groups
- ▪The "false positives" scandal involved the extrajudicial execution of 6,402 civilians by the Colombian military, largely between 2002-2008 under ex-President Álvaro Uribe
- ▪Abelardo de la Espriella has promised to dismantle the peace tribunal established after the 2016 peace pact to investigate war crimes
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