Colombia’s Cepeda concedes after de la Espriella wins by 1 point
What’s next: President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella takes office Aug. 7 after a record turnout of more than 26 million voters.
Iván Cepeda conceded Colombia’s presidential election on Wednesday, handing victory to conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella after days of dispute over a razor-thin result. Official returns showed de la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never held elected office, beat the progressive lawmaker by about 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes. The outcome marks a rebuke to President Gustavo Petro’s government and to Cepeda’s pledge to continue its agenda, including the troubled “total peace” talks with armed groups. De la Espriella, who was backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, is due to begin a four-year term on Aug. 7. More than 26 million Colombians voted in the polarizing runoff, a record, with over 426,000 choosing the ballot’s protest option.