{"id":1599,"date":"2026-06-22T00:06:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T00:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xrpfaucet.site\/?p=1599"},"modified":"2026-06-22T00:06:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T00:06:51","slug":"colombians-vote-in-the-second-round-of-presidential-elections-two-very-extreme-sides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xrpfaucet.site\/?p=1599","title":{"rendered":"Colombians vote in the second round of presidential elections: “Two very extreme sides”"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The electorate is deeply divided will elect the next president of Colombia<\/a><\/span> in a runoff on Sunday that pits progressives against a conservative outsider, with both candidates citing fears of renewed internal conflict in the country as they represent “two very extreme sides,” one Colombian said.<\/p>\n

“What worries me now is the polarization that exists between us: there are two very extreme sides and the violence is a concern,” said John Manrique, a lawyer in the Colombian capital, Bogota. “I hope people agree with whoever won… Let’s not go out and fight.”<\/p>\n

More than 41 million people were eligible to vote on Sunday. Voters will choose between Ivan Cepeda, a far-left senator and the candidate of the ruling Pacto Hist\u00f3rico party, who is also the heir The policy of President Gustav Petro<\/a><\/span>and Abelardo de la Espriello, a far-right lawyer who modeled his rhetoric and optics after President Trump and Naib Bukele from El Salvador<\/a><\/span>. Their high-stakes Colombian presidential race headed for a runoff after Cepeda and Espriello defeated nine other contenders on May 31.<\/p>\n

Polling stations closed on Sunday at 4 p.m<\/p>\n

Both candidates are proposing strategies that they believe will prevent the South American country from facing the relentless violence like car bombs, kidnappings, disappearances and forced displacement that Colombians have lived with in previous decades.<\/p>\n

De la Espriello offers a tough approach that has earned him the endorsement of President Trump. <\/p>\n

But Petro told CBS News earlier this month that he sees Trump’s support as an act of meddling, accusing Washington of refusing to cooperate in the war on drugs for ideological reasons. He also warned that Colombia will face a wave of political violence if the right comes to power.<\/p>\n

Earlier, the Colombian president, in a message on social networks in which he supported de la Espriello, said that the results of the elections in his country “are very important for the future of Colombia and its relations with the United States.”<\/p>\n

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\"Climate<\/span>

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This photo combination shows presidential candidates Abelardo de la Espriello, left, on May 6, 2026, and Ivan Cepeda on May 31, 2026, in Bogota, Colombia.<\/span><\/p>\n

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AP photo<\/p>\n

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Cepeda vows to continue Peter’s efforts, including efforts to establish dialogue with numerous illegal armed groups, even though those efforts have largely failed.<\/p>\n

The two candidates also offer different solutions to the country’s health care system, growing public debt and entrenched corruption.<\/p>\n

The president again questions the election results<\/h2>\n

According to the official results, in the first round Cepeda won 41% of the votes, and de la Espriello – 44%. Without evidence, Petro cast doubt on the results after Cepeda, who consistently led the polls ahead of May’s vote, failed to win outright and even finished behind de la Espriello.<\/p>\n

Petro repeated his statements on Sunday.<\/p>\n

“Of course we have to protect the vote,” he said shortly before the polls opened.<\/p>\n

His move will provide detailed information on “all accounts and funds that have been transferred from abroad,” Petro added. The actors, whom he did not name, “tried to enslave the people of Colombia, depriving them of their freedom of decision.”<\/p>\n

Polling stations will be open until 16:00 on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Yolanda Hernandez, 49, voted early before she started selling black ink pens outside a polling center in Bogota. Customers, she said, purchase the pens because the ink cannot be wiped off paper ballots, reducing the possibility of fraud.<\/p>\n

Hernandez, who makes a living recycling garbage, voted for Petro in 2022, but this time she cast her vote for de la Espriello. Although she acknowledged that Pietro could not fulfill promises to help the poor because of the impasse in Congress, she said that Colombia could not afford another four years in line with his vision for the country.<\/p>\n

“We want change in Colombia because it’s always the same violence, always the same,” Hernandez said. “(Pietro) said he’s going to lower the cost of services, that he’s going to lower the price of food, and everything is going to be more expensive.”<\/p>\n

The nation is plagued by fighting between rebel groups<\/h2>\n

The election comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas, which gave hope of breaking the vicious cycle of fighting between rebel groups and the country’s government.<\/p>\n

But violence has since returned, especially after most rebel groups abandoned their ideological struggle for the financial benefits of the drug trade.<\/p>\n

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\"Elections<\/span>

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Supporters of Historic Pact coalition presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda at a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 13, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo by AP\/Fernando Vergara<\/p>\n

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Authorities recorded 14,780 killings last year, the highest number since at least 2015, caused by clashes between illegal armed groups. He was among the killed conservative presidential candidate Miguel Uribe<\/a><\/span>. Extortion also increased, reaching 13,417 cases in 2025, more than double the number estimated in 2015.<\/p>\n

De la Espriello, a political newcomer nicknamed “The Tiger,” has vowed to crack down on criminals and build 10 mega-prisons, emulating Salvadoran President Naib Bukele’s policies that have reduced murder rates but sparked accusations of human rights abuses.<\/p>\n

Cepeda wants to carry out Peter’s complicated signed plan to achieve “total peace” by making agreements with guerrillas and criminal gangs. The heavily criticized strategy, which Peter launched in 2022, took until Thursday for the first armed group \u2014 one of about 100 members \u2014 to give up their weapons and begin a resettlement process that will see them reintegrated into civilian life. Colombia’s illegal groups have more than 27,000 members. <\/p>\n

Fernando Lozano, 34, decided to vote for the first time in a decade because of the very different proposals between Cepeda and de la Espriella, in particular the latter’s intention to confront armed groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone would have thought that being able to put an end to all this once and for all is not a bad thing. But it’s not as easy as it seems,” Lozano said, adding that the combative approach had failed before and could only lead to more violence if tried again. “You can’t just go there and confront them and expect it to be resolved in six months. It takes years.”<\/p>\n

Yamile Guevara, a retired teacher from Bogota, said Piotr’s plans needed more time to bear fruit as he could not reasonably be expected to make lasting changes in the six-decade conflict. She also criticized what she called a perennial voter distrust of Colombia’s left because of its long-standing ties to rebel groups. <\/p>\n

“The left has always been viewed negatively; they were violent and a lot of people died,” said Guevara, a supporter of Cepeda. “So one wonders what’s wrong with people who have forgotten history … how can they not think carefully about which candidate they’re going to vote for?”<\/p>\n

On the eve of the second round, verbal attacks between candidates, as well as accusations of fraud, vote-buying and intimidation, became more frequent. <\/p>\n

Cepeda filed a complaint with the Colombian Attorney General’s Office and the International Criminal Court against de la Espriel, accusing him of having ties to paramilitary groups. De la Espriello denied the allegations.<\/p>\n

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Lilia Luciano<\/a><\/p>\n

contributed to this report.\n <\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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