BOGOTÁ, Colombia, June 25 (World Daily Times) — Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia’s presidential runoff in preliminary results, and leftist rival Iván Cepeda later conceded defeat while alleging foreign interference, vote-buying and artificial intelligence were used to sway voters.
Colombia’s National Civil Registry reported that de la Espriella led with about 49.7% of the vote, compared with about 48.7% for Cepeda. The right-wing lawyer, known as “El Tigre,” had never held elected office before the campaign.
Cepeda first resisted accepting the count, then said in a concession speech that he would accept the result as “an act of democratic responsibility.” He also repeated claims that the United States, including President Donald Trump, interfered in Colombia’s race and said AI was used to manipulate voters.
President Gustavo Petro separately questioned the preliminary count on X and called for an audit of the voting software. He did not present evidence in the public post cited in the reporting.
De la Espriella campaigned on security and promised a hard-line response to crime, including the construction of 10 maximum-security prisons and a military offensive against illegal armed groups and drug trafficking. Trump publicly backed his campaign, and de la Espriella is scheduled to take office on Aug. 7.
