Conservative lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly won the preliminary vote count in Colombia’s presidential election, likely sweeping aside Gustavo Petro’s leftist movement and realigning Bogota with the US.

De la Espriella received 49.7% of the vote with 99.8% of polling stations reporting on Sunday, according to the electoral authority. Leftist senator Iván Cepeda, a Petro ally, trailed with 48.7%, in one of the closest and most polarized elections in the nation’s history.

Although, the results show De la Espriella leading by nearly 250,000 votes, that must still be validated through the slower, legally binding count. In the process, electoral authorities review the official records produced at polling stations and resolve discrepancies or challenges. Petro says he’ll only recognize that, and not the initial count.

De la Espriella, who is also a U.S. citizen, would take office on Aug. 7, after electoral authorities sign off on the result. He has pledged to round up criminals in El Salvador-style mega prisons, bomb the camps of cocaine-trafficking militias, and reopen the nation to new oil exploration including by allowing fracking. He was endorsed by President Donald Trump, who pledged the U.S.’s “total support” for Colombia if he won.

De la Espriella has said that the Colombian left should be treated “not as adversaries, but as enemies.” That, and Petro’s reluctance to accept the result, creates the potential for unrest.

At a gathering of Cepeda’s campaign in Bogota, where the candidate is expected to speak later, some of his supporters openly wept, while others chanted defiantly that they might still win.

“If we have to take to the streets again, we’ll do it,” said Giselle Pinzón, 22, a psychology student, weeping as she spoke.

De la Espriella’s supporters celebrated, honking car horns around the streets of the capital.

In Bogota, some businesses had reinforced their storefront windows amid fears of protests.

“It will be important for De la Espriella to acknowledge how close the result was and to moderate some of the incendiary rhetoric that characterized the campaign,” said Sergio Guzmán, the founder of Colombia Risk Analysis. “Given how closely contested this election was, Colombia is entering a very challenging period.”

Patriotic imagery

The outcome was closely watched by markets and business leaders concerned about the direction of policy in South America’s third-biggest economy. Colombia faces widening fiscal deficits, slowing growth and persistent inflationary pressures.

De la Espriella leaned heavily on patriotic imagery and messages centered on security and national identity. Legal disputes over his use of symbols including the national football team’s jersey became a campaign issue in its own right.

Many investors viewed him as more likely to pursue fiscal discipline and preserve the independence of the central bank, which came under repeated pressure during Petro’s administration. Cepeda had pledged to tax the rich and redistribute land to poor farmers.

The presidential vote follows congressional elections in March, when Petro and Cepeda’s Historic Pact coalition won 25 of 108 senate seats, making it the chamber’s largest bloc. De la Espriella is a political novice who has never held elected office, raising questions about his ability to govern.

The candidates never met for a debate. Instead, both focused on rallies, media appearances and voter mobilization efforts in the final stretch of the race.

About 41 million Colombians were eligible to vote, including citizens living abroad, who began casting ballots earlier this week at Colombian consulates.

_____

©2026 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.