Colombia front-runner De La Espriella pushes hard-right runoff bid
What's next: Voters go to a Sunday runoff after he won 43.7% in the first round against leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda.
Abelardo De La Espriella, a lawyer and businessman with no prior political experience, has emerged as the favorite in Colombia's presidential race ahead of Sunday's runoff. He won 43.7% in the first round in late May and now faces leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda. De La Espriella has built his campaign on a nationalist, law-and-order platform, pledging to crack down on armed groups and drug trafficking, shrink the state by 40%, widen the tax base and cut corporate taxes. He also wants to restart oil exploration and permit fracking, aiming to lift output to 1.3 million barrels a day. He casts the vote as a choice between economic freedom and the legacy of President Gustavo Petro's reforms.