President Donald Trump congratulated conservative attorney and businessman Abelardo de la Espriella, known as ‘El Tigre,’ on his apparent win in Colombia’s presidential election. De la Espriella holds a slim lead over left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda, but the results have not been officially certified.
Election Results
With 99.9% of votes counted, de la Espriella led with 49.7% to Cepeda’s 48.7%. De la Espriella dominated in the country’s mountainous interior and the vote-rich state of Antioquia, while Cepeda won in the capital Bogotá and performed well in coastal regions.
Cepeda has challenged the results, citing irregularities at thousands of polling stations. Overturning the election would be unprecedented in Colombian history.
US-Colombia Relations
A de la Espriella administration will likely mark a return to free-market economics, decreased governmental intervention in the economy, and a renewed push to lower taxes. Trump asserted that things would be ‘Much better’ between the US and Colombia under de la Espriella’s leadership.
De la Espriella promised a return to an aggressive military campaign to reclaim territory from terrorist groups and cartels, and pledged to build ‘mega-prisons,’ citing the policies of El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele as a model for eradicating criminal groups.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
