World

Colombians vote in presidential runoff

Published: 04:06 PM,Jun 21,2026 | EDITED : 08:06 PM,Jun 21,2026

TOPSHOT - Colombians living in Spain vote in the second round of the Colombia's presidential election in the Casa de Campo's pavillion in Madrid on June 21, 2026. Colombians pick a new president on June 21, a choice between a hard-right White House-backed lawyer and a leftist senator that will decide the fate of the country's stumbling peace process and strained ties with Washington. Frontrunner De la Espriella, a dual US-Colombian national, won May's first-round vote by promising to wage war on drug-running guerrilla groups who refused to sign a 2016 peace deal.
 
TOPSHOT - Colombians living in Spain vote in the second round of the Colombia's presidential election in the Casa de Campo's pavillion in Madrid on June 21, 2026. Colombians pick a new president on June 21, a choice between a hard-right White House-backed lawyer and a leftist senator that will decide the fate of the country's stumbling peace process and strained ties with Washington. Frontrunner De la Espriella, a dual US-Colombian national, won May's first-round vote by promising to wage war on drug-running guerrilla groups who refused to sign a 2016 peace deal.

BOGOTA: Colombians began voting in a presidential runoff on Sunday, choosing between a hard-right, White House-backed lawyer and a leftist senator to decide the fate of a stumbling peace process and strained ties with Washington. Up to 41 million voters will choose between frontrunner Abelardo de la Espriella and his leftist rival Ivan Cepeda.
Security issues dominated a campaign marred by guerrilla bomb attacks and the murder of a leading conservative presidential candidate.
'I have to say, there is a certain fear,' 59-year-old Alex Vizcaino said while voting in the Caribbean coast city of Barranquilla. 'It's the first election where you feel this bit of fear.' 'There are a lot of fanatics. You see a lot of violence,' he said. 'I think everyone's hope, regardless of political colour, is that things change.'
De la Espriella, a dual US-Colombian national who calls himself 'The Tiger,' won May's first-round vote by promising to wage war on drug-running guerrilla groups who refused to sign a 2016 peace accord. He has won President Donald Trump's 'complete and total endorsement' and hopes to ride a right-wing wave that has swept rightist candidates to power in Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Honduras. — AFP