INTERNACIONAL
Anti-cartel hardliner channels Trump in bid to end Colombia’s leftist era in pivotal election
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A hardline, law-and-order candidate who promises to dismantle drug cartels and reset Colombia’s security doctrine is gaining traction with voters as Colombians vote in Sunday’s presidential election.
As the world’s largest cocaine producer and a long-standing U.S. security partner, Colombia’s internal policies directly affect narcotics flows, migration dynamics and regional stability.
Analysts believe a shift in Bogotá’s leadership could reshape cooperation with Washington on drug interdiction, intelligence sharing and counter-cartel operations — issues that remain central to U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
Abelardo De La Espriella, a businessman and successful defense attorney, has emerged as a leading candidate on the right with a platform focused on aggressive counternarcotics enforcement, institutional reform and a decisive break from current leftist President Gustavo Petro’s negotiation-based approach with armed rebel groups.
TRUMP’S WAR ON DRUGS STOPS AT MEXICAN BORDER — FOR NOW
A supporter of Colombia’s presidential candidate for the Defensores de la Patria party, Abelardo de la Espriella, takes a selfie as she awaits his arrival to his last campaign rally in Barranquilla, Colombia, on May 23, 2026. Colombia will hold presidential elections on May 31. (Vanessa Romero/AFP via Getty Images)
The 47-year-old, nicknamed ‘The Tiger,’ recently told the Associated Press, «The only peace process I believe in is one imposed by the force of arms and the laws of the republic. Under my government, any bandit who resists will be eliminated as appropriate, and if he submits, we will imprison him in a mega prison so he can pay his debt to justice as they should.»
His rise mirrors a regional pattern seen with leaders like Javier Milei, Nayib Bukele and José Antonio Kast figures who have built political momentum around security-first agendas and voter frustration with crime and economic instability.
According to an Associated Press report, polls say De La Espriella is likely to fight it out with leftist candidate Iván Cepeda, who is from the same party as President Gustavo Petro, and center-right candidate Paloma Valencia. There are 14 candidates on the ballot.
Colombia’s presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, of the Defensores de la Patria party, speaks behind bulletproof glass during his closing campaign rally in Medellin, Colombia on May 24, 2026. Colombia will hold presidential elections on May 31. (Jaime Saldarriaga/AFP Via Getty Images)
Valencia’s campaign is backed by most of the nation’s traditional parties and by economists who are concerned about the growing levels of debt under the Petro administration and want Colombia to return to more orthodox policies, the Associated Press reported.
US PARTNERS WITH COLOMBIA TO TAKE ON IMMIGRATION USING BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGIES
Valencia told Fox News Digital, «As president of Colombia, we will restore a strategic, close, and trustworthy relationship with the United States, based on mutual respect and the defense of our national interests. We will strengthen cooperation in security, intelligence, military training, and the fight against transnational crime; areas in which the alliance between our two countries has been essential to Colombia’s stability. We will also work to ensure that Colombia plays an active role in the Shield of the Americas and contributes to regional leadership in defense and security. «
She added, «The United States will continue to be a key partner for economic growth, investment, and job creation, as well as a vital ally for the millions of Colombians who live there. Colombia will also stand alongside the United States in defending freedom and democracy across the hemisphere, supporting efforts to restore liberty in Cuba and to help Venezuela return to a democratic path. Our relationship will be defined by trust, cooperation, and the pursuit of tangible benefits for Colombia and its citizens.»
Paloma Valencia, presidential candidate for the Democratic Center party, during the Gran Consulta Por Colombia election night rally in Bogota, Colombia, on Sunday, March 8, 2026. Senator Paloma Valencia is now among the favorites to become Colombia’s next president after her landslide win in primaries on Sunday. (Nathalia Angarita/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Critics say leftist candidate Iván Cepeda, represents a continuation and potential expansion of the leftist policies associated with Petro. Cepeda supports dialogue with armed groups, rural reform and a reform of Colombia’s traditional security framework, placing greater emphasis on social investment.
COLOMBIA PRESIDENT DECREES EMERGENCY POWERS TO RESTORE ORDER IN COCA REGION WRACKED BY REBEL COMBAT
Camilo Guzmán, executive director of Libertank, told Fox News Digital that Sunday’s election will likely result in a runoff between Cepeda and De La Espriella. «Abelardo earned that ticket by reading the room better than anyone else in the opposition. He offered catharsis, speaking directly to Colombian voters’ indignation toward the traditional political class and the establishment.
«Where center-right Senator Paloma Valencia offered competence and continuity with the Uribe tradition, he said, De La Espriella’s message «is built on a hard line on security,» Guzman added. «Ending Petro’s failed ‘total peace’ policy that emboldened guerrillas and cartels, going after narco-trafficking with full force, and rebuilding the counter-narcotics alliance with Washington that Petro spent four years dismantling.«
Analysts say the outcome for the U.S. carries significant strategic weight. A De La Espriella administration could align more closely with Washington’s traditional counternarcotics priorities, potentially strengthening bilateral cooperation at a time when synthetic drug flows and organized crime networks are expanding across the hemisphere.
TRUMP-STYLE LAW-AND-ORDER CONSERVATIVE CLINCHES CHILE’S PRESIDENCY AS VIOLENT CRIME CRISIS RESHAPES NATION
Colombia’s presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda, of the Pacto Historico party, speaks to supporters during his final campaign rally in Barranquilla, Atlantico department, Colombia on May 24, 2026. (Vanessa Romero/AFP via Getty Images)
Beyond bilateral relations, the election is being closely watched as a potential inflection point for Latin America. A De La Espriella or Valencia win would reinforce the momentum of security-focused leadership seen in parts of the region, while a Cepeda presidency would signal continuity for Petro’s policies.
José Manuel Restrepo, candidate for vice president on the ticket with De La Espriella talked exclusively to Fox News Digital. «The relationship between Colombia and the United States needs to be recovered and rebuilt, and this starts with a sound security policy to combat drug trafficking. It will be crucial to move beyond the current deteriorated relationship, in which we lost the historic bilateral, bicameral, bipartisan, and multisectoral relationship with our primary trading and investment partner.»
Jose Manuel Restrepo, Colombia’s former finance minister and vice presidential candidate for the Defenders of the Homeland party, during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Nathalia Angarita/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He continued, «To strengthen it, we must seize the opportunity for Colombia to become the United States’ best possible ally in the restoration of democracy in Venezuela. Leveraging this relationship with the United States, we can play a major role in investing in food, hygiene products and basic needs from Colombia to Venezuela. This would, among other things, give a new direction to the relationship with the United States, creating new opportunities that benefit Colombia…Under our administration, the relationship with the United States would be strengthened and revitalized.
Guzman noted that «De La Espriella’s anti-establishment posture is not a libertarian agenda. His economic program leans on price controls, interest-rate subsidies, and import substitution, closer to old-school Latin American populism than to Bukele’s pro-investment turn, and a world away from Milei’s free-market project. Whether the economic program that comes with it creates new instability south of the border is the open question.»
Supporters of Colombia’s presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda, of the Pacto Historico party, attend a campaign rally at Plaza Bolivar in Bogota on May 22, 2026. (Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Analyst, entrepreneur and son of a former president Jerónimo Uribe said the stakes could not be clearer in Sunday’s presidential race. «The elections in Colombia are not between the left and the right. They are between a communist model propped up by drug traffickers and a model that defends democracy and freedom,» he told Fox News Digital.
Representatives for Cepeda did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
colombia, latin america, national security, organized crime
INTERNACIONAL
Obama Center visitors say project symbolic of ‘Black excellence,’ claim scandal-free legacy while Trump ripped
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
CHICAGO — Opening weekend visitors at the Barack Obama Presidential Center called the 44th president’s legacy an example of unifying, scandal-free «Black excellence,» while they lamented what they view as a dark turn for the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
«The community is great, we’re just kind of glad it’s here,» Lauren Tillman, who lives about 40 minutes outside of Chicago, told Fox News Digital. «We needed something like this. Chicago looks like a certain place to certain people who are not from the area… so I just think this brought everybody together, like, ‘oh there’s something for the community,’ for Black people, and on Juneteenth, so I thought that was great, too.»
The presidential center’s opening weekend began with a star-studded private ceremony and concert on Thursday night, and the 19.3-acre campus opened to the public on Friday during the Juneteenth holiday, which celebrates the day Black slaves were declared free in 1865.
TOM HANKS, OPRAH, STEVEN SPIELBERG TURN OBAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL CENTER OPENING INTO HOLLYWOOD’S HOTTEST TICKET
The Obama Presidential Center building is shown with its glass facade and surrounding trees. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
«Just knowing that Chicago doesn’t always get the best rep, to know that we’ve had a Black president come from this place, and then to memorialize his legacy is just great,» said Ashley Woods, who joined Tillman at the opening.
«To know that [Obama] was going to try to do at least something for his people, that meant a lot to me and being here means a lot,» added Tillman.
«And I think, to piggyback off that, I think the legacy is Black excellence,» continued Woods. «Again, growing up in a place like Chicago, you don’t really think you can do much besides being a rapper or, you know, going into sports, but so see that somebody actually made it to the top per se, they were able to run the nation, there was very little scandal around him and his family, like it just shows you that we can be more than what America tells us we can be.»
OBAMA’S LEGACY PROJECT OFFERS LITTLE HOPE FOR CHICAGO’S SOUTH SIDE RESIDENTS
Lauren Tillman and Ashley Woods speak with Fox News Digital at the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Friday. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
Sheryl Rogers and Peggy Neely-Harris made the trip from St. Louis for the weekend’s festivities.
«What it means for African Americans [is] a coming together, a reckoning, a remembrance of the excellence that is within each one of us, particularly in African Americans and particularly at this time when our very existence is under attack,» Rogers told Fox News Digital.
Neely-Harris agreed, and said that the brand new presidential center is a symbol of hope and renewal, and that the center is a «light in this present darkness.»
OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER SLAMMED FOR PROMOTING ‘FAR-LEFT’ AGENDA ON PUBLIC LAND
Sheryl Rogers and Peggy Neely Harris speak with Fox News Digital on the opening weekend of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Friday. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
«[Obama] has left an excellent example of how you should live, what type of character you should have and the love of family and community,» Rogers continued. «You can see love just exudes from them, and I love to see love in action.»
«No scandal,» she added.
However, Obama did face some major scandals and controversies during his two terms in the White House.
Obama’s DOJ infamously seized records of Fox News’ phone lines, including a phone number that belonged to the parents of a reporter.
The seizure was approved after a warrant was granted by a judge, and in an affidavit seeking the warrant, an FBI agent called reporter James Rosen a likely criminal «co-conspirator» in a violation of the Espionage Act.
Obama also faced government weaponization claims when his IRS allegedly slow-rolled the tax-exempt nonprofit approval of grassroots conservative organizations that set out to oppose his agenda.
Groups with words such as «Tea Party» or «Patriot» in their names were allegedly hindered from forming for months and years.
OBAMA CENTER SUBCONTRACTOR FILES $40M DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST ENGINEERING FIRM FOR OVERRUNS
Barack Obama speaks during the dedication of the Barack Obama Presidential Center, Thursday, in Chicago. (Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)
Operation Fast and Furious was another chart-topping Obama scandal.
ATF agents intentionally allowed illegal straw purchases of weapons near the U.S. southern border with Mexico, in hopes that tracking the firearms would lead them directly to high-level cartel kingpins. But the Obama-era agency failed to monitor at least 2,000 of the weapons, which did in fact make their way into the hands of dangerous characters.
One of the weapons in the ill-fated sting was used to kill Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in 2010.
When, in 2012, then-Attorney General Eric Holder was subpoenaed during a House Oversight Committee investigation into the matter, he refused to comply, disallowing the committee from seeing thousands of pages of records pertaining to the operation. He later became the first U.S. cabinet official to be held in contempt of Congress, but the Obama DOJ failed to prosecute him.
Obama ordered the extrajudicial drone strike killings of four terror-tied Americans in Yemen without due process.
TRUMP OFFERS TO HELP OBAMA WITH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY’S ‘DISASTER’
Valerie Reynolds speaks to Fox News Digital during the opening weekend of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Friday. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
Twenty-six-year-old Chicago resident Valerie Reynolds told Fox News Digital she thinks the center will improve the image of the city’s South Side, which often finds itself in news headlines for violence and poverty.
«I think Barack Obama’s legacy is and will continue to be the inspiration of togetherness, of the power of what can be done and what can be created when we all come together,» she said. «It’s absolutely something that we are missing today. I’ve seen divisions in this country in ways that I’ve never seen before, and I was reminded of just how vast those divisions are being out here today, because it’s the first time I’ve felt this closeness since he ran for office in 2008.»
An emotional Kia Ware, a woman from Virginia, said the grand opening of the center was a sad reminder of the direction of the U.S. since Obama left office.
OBAMA REMAINS DEM HEADLINER WHILE PRESIDENT WITH MOST VOTES EVER FADES INTO BACKGROUND: ‘IT WAS ALL A DREAM’
Kia Ware speaks with Fox News Digital during the opening weekend of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Friday. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
«It makes me sad because I was so proud of everything that was accomplished during that legacy in terms of, you know, fighting for vulnerable people and vulnerable lands and protection of so many things that are now being erased forever, and I feel like it’s setting us back,» she said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Ware added that Obama is still a «powerhouse» in the Democratic Party, and said that people who believe in his legacy want him to «step back in.»
«I guess it just means, like for me, I just am feeling very thankful that we have those eight years of history for putting women forward, putting minorities forward,» she said. «I felt like that unification, just seeing all people of different backgrounds and ages and generations here, I get that same feeling.»
barack obama, chicago, donald trump, illinois, politics
INTERNACIONAL
Balotaje en Colombia: el izquierdista Iván Cepeda enfrenta al ultraderechista Abelardo de la Espriella, favorito en las encuestas
Entre fuertes medidas de seguridad por temor a la violencia armada, Colombia elegirá este domingo a su nuevo presidente en un balotaje histórico entre dos modelos ideológicos y económicos enfrentados.
El favorito Abelardo de la Espriella, un “outsider” de ultraderecha que busca emular al presidente salvadoreño Nayib Bukele con su política de “mano dura”, se enfrenta al heredero del presidente Gustavo Petro, el senador izquierdista Iván Cepeda.
La mayoría de las encuestas, divulgadas en los últimos días, auguran un claro triunfo de De la Espriella, postulante respaldado por Donald Trump, con una ventaja de entre tres a siete puntos. Solo Celag Data vaticinó una victoria del candidato del Pacto Histórico por muy escaso margen en un escenario de empate técnico.
“La muerte anunciada, como decía (Gabriel) García Márquez, indica que va a ganar Abelardo por una diferencia tan considerable como para invalidar reclamos por fraude, que ha sido el único argumento que en primera vuelta manejaron Petro y su candidato Cepeda como reacción” a su inesperada derrota, dijo a TN el asesor y analista argentino Ángel Beccassino, considerado un verdadero “gurú” de las campañas electorales en Colombia.
En la primera ronda del 31 de mayo, el candidato del partido ultraderechista Defensores de la Patria ganó con alrededor de tres puntos de ventaja (43% a 40%) sobre Cepeda.
La Constitución colombiana prohíbe la reelección consecutiva. Por ello Petro no pudo ser el candidato natural de la izquierda. El ganador asumirá el gobierno el 7 de agosto por los próximos cuatro años (2026-2030) .
Inseguridad y desafíos
Más de 41 millones de colombianos están habilitados para votar en un clima crispado por una ola de violencia vinculada a la guerrilla y el narcotráfico que sacude el país desde hace tiempo y que incluyó el asesinato de un precandidato presidencial el año pasado.
El gobierno estima que 27.000 hombres están hoy en armas en 16 zonas en disputa territorial entre las disidencias de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), el Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), grupos paramilitares y organizaciones criminales y del narcotráfico.
En la primera vuelta de las elecciones se desplegaron 248.000 policías y militares para custodiar el proceso electoral. Se prevé ahora un escenario similar.
La violencia endémica que enfrenta el país desde hace décadas será sin dudas uno de los principales desafíos del nuevo presidente, además de afrontar un pronunciado déficit fiscal del 7% del PBI y una crisis sanitaria que puso en jaque al sistema de salud. Ivan Cepeda, candidato del Pacto Histórico (Foto: REUTERS/Sergio Acero)
Dos estilos opuestos
En ese marco, De la Espriella y Cepeda no solo representan dos modelos ideológicos enfrentados. También dos estilos opuestos.
El candidato ultraderechista, apodado “El Tigre” se ha mostrado en campaña descontracturado. Así, ha subido a sus redes sociales videos en los que se lo ve haciendo flexiones de brazos con su hija a cuestas, tocando el piano, bailando con su esposa o hasta cantando ópera.
Por el contrario, Cepeda muestra un estilo sobrio, alejado de los discursos incendiarios de Petro, aunque en las últimas semanas buscó confrontar con su rival y lo acusó de poner en peligro la democracia y la soberanía nacional.
Beccassino, quien ha asesorado a varios candidatos presidenciales, entre ellos al propio Petro, dijo que la campaña de De la Espriella superó a la de Cepeda.
“La campaña de Cepeda es muy floja frente a una profesional. De la Espriella repitió un guión que ha funcionado en otros países, comenzando por Argentina (con Javier Milei) y que sobresalió como espectáculo en unas elecciones grises”, indicó.
Leé también: Para calmar a Donald Trump, Cuba debate un plan de reformas económicas pero sin apertura política
Liberal en lo económico, De la Espriella promete convertirse en el “Bukele colombiano”. No solo imita sus poses, su corte de pelo y su barba. También su discurso de mano dura. Así, promete bombardear a los grupos armados ilegales y criminales que azotan el país y construir megacárceles. Abelardo De La Espriella busca la presidencia de Colombia (Foto: REUTERS/Cesar Quiroz)
Por su lado, Cepeda defiende el modelo de Petro con una fuerte influencia estatal y políticas sociales. Su histórica actuación en el campo de los derechos humanos lo convirtieron en un político de prestigio en sectores progresistas de la sociedad colombiana.
Además, como Petro, apuesta al diálogo con los grupos armados para pacificar el país.
Sin embargo, los sondeos lo muestran en una posición de desventaja. De la Espriella no solo parte de una elevada base electoral alcanzada en la primera vuelta con el 43% de respaldo.
La tercera candidata más votada, Paloma Valencia, del Centro Democrático (derecha tradicional), logró alrededor del 6% de respaldo y llamó a votar por De la Espriella.
Admirador de Bukele, Milei y Trump, otro “outsider” se encamina a asumir el poder en un país de la región.
Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, Iván Cepeda, Sumario
INTERNACIONAL
Trump-backed ‘El Tigre’ looks to crush cartels, end Colombia’s socialist era in pivotal election
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
As Colombia heads into a pivotal presidential runoff on Sunday, conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella is riding a wave of voter frustration over crime, cartels and economic uncertainty.
His rise comes as outgoing President Gustavo Petro faces mounting political turmoil, turning the election into a high-stakes battle over the future of one of America’s most important allies in Latin America.
De le Espriella’s campaign is built on a platform of law and order, anti-cartel crackdowns and repairing U.S.-Colombia relations as he faces leftist politician Iván Cepeda in the presidential runoff. Cepeda is from Petro’s socialist party.
COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT PETRO THREATENS MILITARY RESPONSE AFTER TRUMP WARNS COLOMBIA MAY BE NEXT TARGET
Colombia’s presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, of the Defensores de la Patria party, speaks behind bulletproof glass during his closing campaign rally in Medellin, Colombia on May 24, 2026. Colombia will hold presidential elections on May 31. (Jaime Saldarriaga/AFP Via Getty Images)
In a region increasingly defined by larger-than-life political figures, de la Espriella is known universally as «El Tigre,» and has transformed his nickname into a political movement. Campaign rallies feature tiger imagery, merchandise and slogans built around strength and fearlessness.
He has openly embraced comparisons to President Trump, presenting himself as a political outsider willing to confront entrenched elites, challenge progressive orthodoxies and restore what supporters describe as strength and order to government.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech during a troop recognition ceremony at the Jose Maria Cordova Military Cadet School in Bogota on March 11, 2025. (Raul Arboleda/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier this week Trump endorsed him stating in part on social media that: «Colombian Presidential Candidate, «El Tigre (THE TIGER),» Abelardo de la Espriella, is a Smart, Strong, and Tough Leader, who fights tirelessly for, and loves, his Great Country and People, just like I do for the United States of America.»
Trump added, «Because of his tremendous accomplishments in life, and his political support for me, it is my Honor to give Abelardo my Complete and Total Endorsement. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR «EL TIGRE» ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA — HE WILL NOT LET THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE OF COLOMBIA DOWN. It will rise to a new height of Greatness!»
President Donald Trump, left, waves as he greets El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele as Bukele arrives at the White House, Monday, April 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON COLOMBIA CRACKDOWN, CALLS PETRO ‘LUNATIC,’ VOWS TO END ALL US PAYMENTS OVER DRUGS
Aside from the Trump comparison, he’s also been likened to El Salvador’s President Bukele. Like Bukele, he has built a political brand around toughness, disruption and public frustration with crime. His campaign rhetoric frequently emphasizes restoring state authority and defeating criminal organizations through overwhelming force.
Petro’s ally, Iván Cepeda, has pledged to continue the administration’s social and economic agenda while expanding negotiations with armed groups.
Cepeda’s campaign did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment on his campaign and hopes for the country.
Colombia’s presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda, of the Pacto Historico party, speaks to supporters during his final campaign rally in Barranquilla, Atlantico department, Colombia on May 24, 2026. (Vanessa Romero/AFP via Getty Images)
Carlos Chacón, executive director of Instituto de Ciencia Política (ICP), a think tank in Colombia told Fox News Digital, «Colombia is torn between two models and two visions: the leftist model, which seeks to increase state intervention in the economy, a model already proven to generate fiscal deficits and economic crises; a model that prioritizes negotiations and appeasement over security, resulting in the strengthening of criminal networks nationwide; and, above all, a model whose political agenda is to alter the Constitution.»
US SANCTIONS COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT AND FAMILY OVER DRUG TRAFFICKING ALLEGATIONS
Chacón said the difference between the two candidates is clear, saying that Abelardo’s model «favors free enterprise and seeks to ensure security, regain territorial control, downsize the state, revitalize strategic sectors, and mend international relations, would be implemented entirely within the framework of the 1991 Constitution.» He added, «Abelardo has never spoken of replacing the constitutional model with an authoritarian one, as is the case with the project proposed by Petro, Cepeda.»
Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella of the political movement Defenders of the Homeland reacts after the results of the first round of the presidential election, in Barranquilla, Colombia May 31, 2026. (Sergio Acero/reuters )
One of the recurring themes of de la Espriella’s campaign has been rebuilding a close relationship with Washington and pursuing a more aggressive security partnership against narcotrafficking and armed groups. He has advocated U.S.-backed operations against narco-terrorist camps and stronger bilateral cooperation on security issues.
De la Espriella rise comes as the outgoing Colombian President Petro faces a battle over allegations of improper involvement in the country’s presidential election. The head of Colombia’s congressional investigative commission has proposed suspending president Petro while authorities examine allegations that he improperly intervened in the presidential campaign on behalf of his political movement.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
A supporter of Colombia’s presidential candidate for the Defensores de la Patria party, Abelardo de la Espriella, takes a selfie as she awaits his arrival to his last campaign rally in Barranquilla, Colombia, on May 23, 2026. Colombia will hold presidential elections on May 31. (Vanessa Romero/AFP via Getty Images)
The proposal has triggered fierce debate across Colombia, with supporters describing it as necessary accountability and critics arguing it exceeds constitutional authority. Petro has denied wrongdoing and remains in office.
The outcome of this election will help determine not only the future of Colombia’s security strategy, but also the trajectory of one of Washington’s most important allies in the Western Hemisphere.
colombia, foreign affairs, donald trump, south america
Irónico mensaje de Galperin tras salir a la luz los videos de Jesica Cirio con bolsas llenas de dólares
Obama Center visitors say project symbolic of ‘Black excellence,’ claim scandal-free legacy while Trump ripped
Alarma en Brasil por la lesión de otra de sus figuras en pleno Mundial: cuántos partidos se perdería
El dólar despertó, pero no es la mejor inversión en lo que va de junio: cuál lidera
Balotaje en Colombia: el izquierdista Iván Cepeda enfrenta al ultraderechista Abelardo de la Espriella, favorito en las encuestas
Una mujer insultó y escupió a Lilia Lemoine y la diputada respondió con un cachetazo
Patricia Bullrich: “El Presidente considera que Adorni dio una explicación razonable”
El lapidario posteo de Javier Milei contra Florencia Peña por la fake news sobre la muerte del papá de Messi
Decomisan un helicóptero producto del lavado de las coimas de Odebrecht
El Calcio Storico Florentino: el fútbol primitivo que ‘rompe’ con la deportividad moderna
POLITICA3 días agoEl lapidario posteo de Javier Milei contra Florencia Peña por la fake news sobre la muerte del papá de Messi
- POLITICA16 horas ago
Difundieron videos en los que Jésica Cirio aparece junto a miles de dólares
- POLITICA3 días ago
Ramiro Marra le pidió a Milei la renuncia de Adorni en una carta abierta
