Colombians are heading to the polls for a presidential runoff between a far-right candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella, and a leftist senator, Iván Cepeda. De la Espriella, who has been endorsed by former US President Donald Trump, has run a campaign focused on spectacle and has promised to take a tough stance on crime and corruption.

Background

De la Espriella, a dual Colombian-US citizen, has never held elected office and has built his career as a criminal defense lawyer. He has vowed to build mega prisons for Colombia’s criminal leaders and has advocated for a free-market economic agenda. His campaign has also opposed abortion, adoption by same-sex couples, and pediatric gender treatments.

Cepeda, on the other hand, has centered his campaign on fighting inequality, deepening agrarian reform, and tackling corruption. He has also criticized decades of US-backed counternarcotics policy and opposed military intervention in Latin America.

Security Concerns

Security is a major concern in the election, with Colombia facing a resurgence of violence. De la Espriella has called for using aggressive military tactics against armed groups, while Cepeda has argued that negotiations remain necessary in a conflict too dispersed to solve by force alone.

The election has been marked by drama, with a lawmaker attempting to suspend the current president until after the election. Electoral authorities and international observers have defended the integrity of the process.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.