Conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella and far-left Senator Iván Cepeda closed their respective campaigns this weekend ahead of Colombia’s June 21 presidential runoff election.
Millions of Colombian voters are expected to head to the polls next weekend to choose between de la Espriella and Cepeda, one of whom will serve as president for the next four years once outgoing Marxist President Gustavo Petro leaves office on August 7, 2026.
The runoff will occur three weeks after Colombia held the first round of the 2026 presidential election on May 31. On that day, de la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer and businessman nicknamed “The Tiger” by his followers, came in first place with nearly 44 percent of the votes. Cepeda, a 63-year-old senator and protégé of outgoing President Petro, came in second place with about 41 percent of the vote. The May 31 race saw 13 different candidates in the ballot.
Presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition waves before a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 1, 2026, the day after the first round presidential election. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
As per the terms of Colombian electoral law and the 2026 election’s electoral calendar, both candidates had until Sunday to hold public campaign events and may only hold private events in the final days before the election. Similarly, local polling firms had until this weekend to publish their final round of polls — which, according to Colombian outlets, project a victory for de la Espriella. President Donald Trump gave his endorsement to de la Espriella ahead of the runoff election this month, describing him as a “Smart, Strong, and Tough Leader.”
De la Espriella, the frontrunner candidate representing his Defenders of the Homeland conservative platform, closed his campaign on Sunday with a rally at the town of Buga, Valle del Cauca, and included a visit to the Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in the region.
Speaking on a stage near the church, de la Espriella asked his supporters for help in convincing undecided voters to solidify his support at the polls. The conservative candidate said that he had come to entrust his victory to the Lord of Miracles at the Colombian basilica, stressing that, although the political battle is “assured,” it is time to “win the spiritual battle.” Our Lord of the Miracles of Buga, affectionately called the “Negrito” by the locals, is a widely venerated 16th-century crucifix image of Jesus Christ.
De la Espriella criticized his opponent, calling him President Gustavo Petro’s “heir,” and promised to transform the government to ensure security, healthcare, and democracy.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro speaks after voting during legislative elections in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
“But I have also come on behalf of those who did not vote for me. Because they, too, are Colombia. Because they, too, are our fellow citizens. Because they, too, deserve hope, prosperity, peace of mind, progress, and a future,” de la Espriella said.
“For them, too, I offered a prayer to the negrito. I asked him to light their paths. I asked him to strengthen our democracy. I asked him that, when it is my turn to govern this nation, he grant me the wisdom necessary to be the president of all Colombians, and not just of those who voted for me,” he continued.
Cepeda, the candidate representing the ruling far-left Historic Pact coalition, closed his campaign with a rally at the municipality of Soledad, Atlántico. Speaking to his followers, Cepeda urged voters to not stay at home and give up the “right to shape the future of our nation” because, according to him, “victory is within our grasp.”
“That is the reality. Because we can achieve a second progressive government that will deepen the transformations we have begun and usher in a new era of prosperity, justice, and democracy for Colombia,” Cepeda said.
The far-left senator is aiming to continue the “progressive” policies implemented during outgoing President Petro’s administration. Petro, a former member of the Marxist M19 terrorist guerilla, is Colombia’s first leftist president in the country’s history. Cepeda referred to Chile’s deposed socialist President Salvador Allende during his speech, asserted that “social processes cannot be stopped by crime or by force.”
“History is ours, and it is made by the people. That is right. History is written by the people. It is written by the Colombian people when they decide to stand up,” Cepeda said. “And the Colombian people are already standing.
“With hope, determination, and the strength of democracy, let us move forward together toward victory. The future belongs to us, and we will claim it. Onward to victory, comrades.”
Prior to his rally in Soledad, the far-left Senator held another rally in Bogotá on Saturday. According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, Cepeda chose Bogotá as one of the final destinations of his campaign as the Colombian capital city is “key” for the far-left Historic Pact coalition — particularly after it recently lost support among local voters when compared to the votes obtained by Historic Pact during the 2022 presidential campaign.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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