Abelardo de la Espriella, a US-backed lawyer, narrowly won Colombia's presidential runoff with 49.65% of the vote. He promised to fight drug-running guerrilla groups. His rival, Ivan Cepeda, is challenging the results.
Abelardo de la Espriella, a flamboyant US-backed lawyer, narrowly won Colombia's presidential runoff with 49.66% of the vote. His victory signals a hard-right shift, promising an "iron fist" against drug-running groups and improved relations with Washington.
Colombia's presidential runoff winner inherits a nation shaped by paramilitary violence. Candidates Iván Cepeda and Abelardo de la Espriella have intertwined histories with these criminal forces, advocating opposing strategies for crime and peace.
