Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia’s presidential election to conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump.

The concession came days after Cepeda initially refused to acknowledge defeat following preliminary results that showed de la Espriella as the apparent winner. 

«At this stage of the vote count, I have decided to accept the result emerging from that process, which indicates that Abelardo de la Espriella is the new President of the Republic,» Cepeda said in an address to the nation. 

«I do so as an act of democratic responsibility.»

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De la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never previously run for office, known to his supporters as «El Tigre,» defeated Senate member Iván Cepeda by one percentage point in a remarkably close election, according to officials. 

«The vote count shows an extraordinarily narrow margin between the two options vying for the trust of the Colombian people,» he said. «Less than 1% of the vote separates the candidacies that participated in this contest.»

Despite his concession, Cepeda made serious allegations that de la Espriella’s victory was influenced by «foreign interference» by the United States and the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate voters. 

«During this process, we denounced the open and improper foreign interference in Colombia’s internal affairs—particularly the interventions by the United States government, and specifically the interventions by President Donald Trump in support of Abelardo de la Espriella’s candidacy,» he said. 

He further accused the opposing campaign of widespread vote-buying and unethical tactics that he said undermined the legitimacy of the election results.

ANTI-CARTEL HARDLINER CHANNELS TRUMP IN BID TO END COLOMBIA’S LEFTIST ERA IN PIVOTAL ELECTION

Abelardo de la Espriella delivers a speech to supporters during a campaign rally in Palmira, near Cali, Colombia on May 14, 2026.  (Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP via Getty Images)

President-elect de la Espriella will begin his four-year term in August.

«Starting August 7, we will work with determination to consolidate a common agenda that strengthens the security, freedom, and prosperity of our nations,» de la Espriella in a post on X. 

The result will effectively end outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s leftist influence on the state and the policies Cepeda had pledged to continue if he won the election.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, left, and President Donald Trump are shown in separate photographs. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images; Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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A core pillar of Petro’s signature agenda was his «total peace» strategy, aimed at opening negotiations with remaining guerrilla forces, drug cartels, and armed paramilitary groups in an effort to end Colombia’s decades long internal conflict. 

In contrast, de la Espriella has pledged a more hardline approach, including a militarized crackdown on criminal organizations, proposals to build mega-prisons, expand fossil fuel fracking, and revive the controversial practice of aerial glyphosate spraying to eradicate coca crops.

The president-elect, who holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship, has also said he plans to add Colombia to the Trump-dubbed «Shield of the Americas,» a proposed coalition aimed at coordinating efforts against criminal groups in Latin America. 

El ciudadano dominicano Luis Enrique Cruz Sena fue capturado en la ciudad de Nueva York y deportado a la República Dominicana, donde enfrenta una acusación por tentativa de homicidio relacionada con un hecho de violencia ocurrido en Santo Domingo Este. Según informó la Policía Nacional de República Dominicana, el arresto se logró gracias a la colaboración entre agencias internacionales y la emisión de una alerta por parte de la OCN-Interpol Santo Domingo.

La detención de Cruz Sena se produjo después de una serie de gestiones realizadas por la Dirección de Cooperación y Relaciones Internacionales de la Policía Nacional. Esta dependencia solicitó a la OCN-Interpol Santo Domingo la activación de una alerta internacional, lo que permitió que el Departamento de Policía de Nueva York (NYPD) localizara y arrestara al prófugo, informó Diego Pesqueira, vocero de la Policía Nacional. El proceso incluyó la coordinación de procedimientos legales y migratorios para garantizar la deportación del detenido hacia suelo dominicano.

De acuerdo con el reporte de Pesqueira, Cruz Sena era requerido por la orden judicial de arresto No. 973-2024-EMES-06045, tras ser señalado como responsable de ocasionar múltiples heridas por arma de fuego a Wellington de la Rosa Ovalles. El hecho se registró el 21 de abril de 2024 en el sector Ensanche Isabelita, en el municipio de Santo Domingo Este. La víctima recibió atención médica tras el incidente, mientras las autoridades iniciaron la búsqueda del presunto agresor.

La deportación de Cruz Sena refuerza la cooperación entre organismos de seguridad de distintos países. Según destacó Pesqueira, el intercambio de información y la colaboración interinstitucional resultan herramientas clave para la localización y captura de personas que intentan evadir la justicia dominicana.

La entidad resaltó la eficacia de los mecanismos internacionales y la respuesta de las autoridades estadounidenses, que permitieron materializar la extradición en un corto plazo.

El vocero de la Policía Nacional subrayó la importancia del trabajo coordinado entre la fuerza pública dominicana y agencias extranjeras. “Este caso demuestra la capacidad de respuesta que brindan los acuerdos de cooperación internacional y el uso eficiente de las alertas de Interpol”, afirmó Pesqueira en su comunicado. El funcionario indicó que el acusado fue entregado al Ministerio Público para que se inicien los procesos judiciales correspondientes.

En lo que va del año, la República Dominicana ha recibido a varios ciudadanos deportados por delitos graves cometidos fuera del territorio nacional. Según registros oficiales, solo en el primer semestre de 2026 se han registrado más de 40 deportaciones de dominicanos acusados de homicidio, narcotráfico, abuso sexual y robos agravados en Estados Unidos y Europa. La Dirección General de Migración informó que estos procesos suelen requerir coordinación entre la OCN-Interpol, la Policía Nacional y organismos judiciales de los países solicitantes.

Uno de los casos recientes incluyó la deportación desde España de un ciudadano acusado de participar en una red de tráfico de personas, mientras que desde Estados Unidos también fue retornado un dominicano con cargos de fraude financiero y asociación ilícita.

Las autoridades dominicanas han reiterado su compromiso con la persecución de delitos transnacionales y la cooperación con agencias internacionales para el combate de la criminalidad.

Las organizaciones de la sociedad civil han pedido fortalecer más los mecanismos de control migratorio y la cooperación judicial internacional, en un contexto marcado por el aumento de la movilidad y el uso de nuevas tecnologías para la comisión de delitos. La Policía Nacional y la Dirección General de Migración mantienen operativos y protocolos especiales para la recepción y puesta a disposición judicial de los repatriados.

La detención y deportación de Luis Enrique Cruz Sena se suma a una serie de acciones que buscan garantizar la aplicación de la justicia y la seguridad pública en la República Dominicana, en colaboración con organismos internacionales y agencias de seguridad extranjeras.

FIRST ON FOX: A powerful House committee is escalating its probe into the Biden administration for alleged collusion with gun control activists.

House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is demanding that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the federal agency responsible for enforcing gun laws, hand over documents detailing Biden aides’ communications with Everytown for Gun Safety, an influential gun control group founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg.

Comer’s panel has argued that a now-defunct Biden office may have collaborated with Everytown to help facilitate its lawsuit with the city of Chicago against the gunmaker Glock Inc. 

«These records will inform the Committee as to whether the Biden Administration and Everytown colluded to attack private gun manufacturing companies through lawfare to circumvent Second Amendment rights,» Comer wrote in a letter Wednesday to the ATF that was reviewed by Fox News Digital.

CITY OF CHICAGO SUES GLOCK INC. OVER ‘FACILITATING’ ILLEGAL GUN CONVERSIONS

Chicago’s lawsuit, listing Everytown’s legal arm as the plaintiff’s counsel, was filed in March 2024 and alleges Glock sold pistols that the firearms manufacturer knew could be easily modified to fire like machine guns. 

«Glock knows that it takes little effort to convert its pistols into illegal machine guns and that criminals frequently do so,» the lawsuit alleged. «Glock also knows it could fix the problem, but has chosen not to, putting profits over public safety and violating the law.»

In the letter, Comer cited a 2023 meeting between the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (WHOGVP) and representatives from Glock, during which Biden officials pressed the gun manufacturer to modify its pistol designs. 

When Chicago sued Glock three months later, John Feinblatt, president of Everytown, wrote on X, «Federal officials recently contacted Glock to discuss implementing new ways to modify Glock pistols to make it harder for Glock switches to be installed. Rather than help, Glock has falsely insisted there is nothing they can do.» 

Comer argues Feinblatt «appears to have had insider information regarding the WHOGVP’s private meeting with Glock, which raises questions about whether the Biden Administration colluded with Everytown to initiate their lawsuit against Glock,» according to the letter.

The lawsuit is still moving through the court system, with a Cook County judge denying Glock’s motion to dismiss the case in September 2025.

Members of Everytown for Gun Safety rally outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on May 26, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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The Kentucky lawmaker has also highlighted close ties between the Biden White House and Everytown. The letter notes that Biden aide Rob Wilcox worked at Everytown for eight years prior to his employment with the WHOGVP. 

Biden also headlined Everytown action fund’s annual training conference, known as Gun Sense University, in June 2024, during which he reiterated his support for a nationwide ban on so-called assault weapons.

Wednesday’s letter comes after the GOP-led panel asked the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in April for communications between the Biden White House and Everytown. 

House Oversight Republicans previously subpoenaed the Biden ATF and Everytown for all communications related to their «potential collaboration efforts,» but neither party complied with the request.

President Joe Biden speaks about gun safety at Everytown’s Gun Sense University at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 2024. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

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Comer has also argued that the committee’s probe will help lawmakers evaluate whether new legislation is needed to combat officials violating recordkeeping requirements or using their roles to leak private information to politically aligned third parties.

A spokesperson for the ATF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.