Colombia's presidential candidate for the Defensores de la Patria movement, Abelardo de la Espriella, speaks to supporters following the preliminary results of the presidential runoff election at the Ventana al Mundo monument in Barranquilla, Colombia, on June 21, 2026. A flamboyant US-backed lawyer who has never held public office narrowly won Colombia's presidential runoff on June 21, swinging the country hard to the right on a promise to wage war against drug-running guerrilla groups. With just a handful of polling centers left to report, Abelardo de la Espriella had 49.65 percent of the vote -- an unassailable lead over left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda who trailed on 48.70 percent. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)