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In Colombia’s first round of presidential elections, tough-talking conservative Abelardo de la Espriella won, signaling what analysts described as a growing backlash across Latin America against leftist governments.
The presidential election could have significant implications for US interests in the region, including drug trafficking, migration and regional stability, as voters increasingly prioritize security, anti-narcotics policies and economic stability ahead of a June 21 runoff between de la Esperilla and leftist candidate Iván Cepeda.
“For the Trump administration, a Colombia that commits itself to security cooperation, counter-narcotics efforts, and strong democratic institutions would be a major win and an important step toward restoring stability in the Western Hemisphere,” Melissa Ford Maldonado of the Americas First Policy Institute (AFPI) told Fox News Digital from Colombia.
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Abelardo de la Espriella, Colombian presidential candidate of the political movement Defenders of the Homeland, reacts after the results of the first round of presidential elections in Barranquilla, Colombia, on May 31, 2026. (Sergio Acero/Reuters)
“What happens in Colombia affects the flow of drugs into American communities, the strength of transnational criminal networks, migration pressures, and the broader balance between democratic governments and criminal regimes across the region,” he said.
The first-round winner, de la Espriella, a conservative lawyer and political outsider known as “El Tigre” (“The Tiger”), has emerged as the face of Colombia’s security-focused transition.
The Republican, an admirer of President Donald Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, won 43.7% of the vote on Sunday, outperforming most polls and advancing to a runoff against leftist Cepeda, a candidate backed by President Gustavo Petro.
His campaign focuses on a tough crackdown on criminal organizations, which he argues have flourished under Petro’s “total peace” policy.
Supporters of Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the political movement Defenders of the Homeland react to the results of the first round of the presidential election in Barranquilla, Colombia, on May 31, 2026. (Charlie Cordero/Reuters)
In an interview with The Associated Press, de la Espriella promised to open larger prisons and take a far more aggressive approach toward criminal groups. “The criminals will either surrender or leave the country,” he said.
The vote comes as Colombia faces rising violence, expanding criminal organizations and growing criticism of President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” strategy, which called for negotiations with armed groups and criminal networks.
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Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro will attend the COP16 summit in Cali, Valle del Cauca on October 29, 2024. (Luis Acosta/AFP)
Daniel Swift, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital on June 21. “Colombia is headed toward war with armed groups controlling vast swaths of the country, a failed ‘Total Peace’ negotiation strategy has left communities more exposed than ever, and the Venezuelan refugee crisis has strained the state’s already diminished capacity to govern its territory.”
Maldonado said Colombia’s election reflects broader political changes taking place across Latin America.
“This election is part of a broader trend across Latin America, where voters are increasingly rejecting the left’s failed promises in favor of security, sovereignty and economic opportunity,” he said.
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Iván Cepeda, presidential candidate for Colombia’s Pacto Historico party, speaks to supporters during his final campaign rally in Barranquilla, Atlantico department, on May 24, 2026. (Vanessa Romero/AFP)
“We have seen this in Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, Costa Rica and now increasingly in Colombia.”
Swift agreed that the election results reflected broader regional trends.
He said de la Espriella’s superior performance, “keeping security at the forefront of every voter’s mind – confirms that Colombia is part of a broader regional reckoning: Latin Americans are losing patience with governments that cannot provide security,” Swift said.
Maldonado said the results reflected growing frustration with the country’s direction under Petro.
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A supporter of Abelardo de la Esprilla, Colombia’s presidential candidate for the Defensores de la Patria party, takes a selfie while awaiting his arrival at his final campaign rally in Barranquilla, Colombia, on May 23, 2026. (Vanessa Romero/AFP via Getty Images)
“Years of growing insecurity, growing coca cultivation, growing criminal organizations and concessions to armed groups have left many Colombians disillusioned with the direction of the country,” he said.
The June 21 runoff is expected to focus heavily on security policy, organized crime and Colombia’s future relations with the United States under the Trump administration. Maldonado argues that this “offers Colombia an opportunity to reverse course and reassert the principle that should never be debated: criminal organizations must be confronted, not negotiated.”
