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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Latin America continues to shift right as Trump-backed candidate declares victory in Colombia |
| 2026-06-23 |
| [Just The News] Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative political newcomer backed by President Donald Trump, declared victory Sunday in Colombia’s cliffhanger presidential election as Latin America continued to shift to the right during the American president's second term. De La Espriella captured 49.7% of the vote, with liberal Iván Cepeda taking 48.7% in a runoff seen as a verdict on outgoing President Gustavo Petro and a stagnant economy ridden by crime. Election officials had not formally declared a winner Sunday night, but de la Espriella declared victory and said he had already spoken with Trump. "We must all respect these electoral results," he said. "And many countries are already weighing in. "The Colombian people, the masses, spoke out and we defeated the regime," he added. Trump and his administration congratulated de la Expriella. "He won, BIG!" Trump wrote on social media. The State Department said Secretary Marco Rubio called the Colombian president-elect to congratulate him. "This result reflects the will of the Colombian people and their commitment to democracy," the department said. "The Trump Administration looks forward to working closely with his incoming administration to advance our bilateral and regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen the economic ties between our two countries." Trump-endorsed, pro-Israel populist poised to become Colombia’s next president [IsraelTimes] Political neophyte Abelardo de la Espriella leads runoff race by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes, with all but a fraction counted; some 29,000 people cast blank ballots Related: Abelardo de la Espriella 06/22/2026 Pro-Israel candidate holds razor-thin lead in Colombia's election; rival challenges vote Abelardo de la Espriella 06/08/2026 Colombian President Petro: We need a powerful army of countries who do not accept genocide Abelardo de la Espriella 06/01/2026 Colombia to the Right? Anti-Crime Outsider Crushes Election Expectations. Related: Colombia: 2026-06-22 Pro-Israel candidate holds razor-thin lead in Colombia's election; rival challenges vote Colombia: 2026-06-18 Colombian military neutralizes five terrorists accused in bus bombing that killed 20, injured 45 civilians Colombia: 2026-06-18 Coast Guard opens fire on boat smuggling 25 Chinese nationals near Florida after it refused to stop |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
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| Posted by: Lord Garth 2026-06-23 18:56 |
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| Posted by: NN2N1 2026-06-23 12:58 |
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| Posted by: Procopius2k 2026-06-23 06:39 |