Colombia’s left-wing candidate Cepeda concedes to De la Espriella in presidential election

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Colombia’s left-wing candidate Cepeda concedes to De la Espriella in presidential election

Americas

Colombia’s left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda on Wednesday conceded electoral defeat to right-wing rival Abelardo de la Espriella after Sunday’s second-round presidential vote. 

Colombia's leftist presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda addresses the media in Bogota, Colombia, June 22, 2026.

Colombia’s leftist presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda addresses the media in Bogota on June 22, 2026. © Sergio Acero, Reuters

Progressive candidate Ivan Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia’s presidential election to Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative outsider who was endorsed by US President Donald Trump.

Who is Ivan Cepeda, left-wing candidate in Colombia’s presidential elections?

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Who is Ivan Cepeda, left-wing candidate in Colombia's presidential elections?

Cover image: © France 24

Election results showed de la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never run for office, defeated progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes.

Read moreWill Colombia’s right-wing hardliner De la Espriella be able to govern?

The result effectively was an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a largely failed effort to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups.

Electoral authorities published all but a fraction of the vote count hours after polls closed Sunday. Petro and Cepeda did not accept those results, with the latter saying he would wait for a recount to do so.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)

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