Washington (United States) (AFP) – A victory by hard-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia's presidential election was another diplomatic victory in Latin America for US leader Donald Trump, who is pushing for the region to crack down on organized crime and migration.
Issued on: 24/06/2026 - RFI
US President Donald Trump (left) had enthusiastically endorsed Colombia's hard-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella (right) © Jim WATSON, Luis ACOSTA / AFP/File
Since Trump returned to the White House a year and a half ago, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Honduras have shifted to the right or consolidated conservative realignments.
The shock US ouster of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro in January has led to unprecedented collaboration with the administration of interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who remains in power as she bends to Washington's demands.
The Trump administration now has its sights set on Cuba, enforcing a choking oil embargo that has forced the communist government to hastily adopt economic reforms.
This heavy-handed approach has drawn barely any protest from Mexico and Brazil -- the last major leftist strongholds in Latin America -- or from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose days in office are numbered.
Millionaire lawyer-turned-politician De la Espriella "speaks the language many in Washington want to hear: tougher enforcement," said Rebecca Bill Chavez, president of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank.
Trump had enthusiastically backed De la Espriella in the Colombian vote and has pledged stronger cooperation "which will bring new levels of Greatness for both of our Countries!"
Since Trump returned to the White House a year and a half ago, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Honduras have shifted to the right or consolidated conservative realignments.
The shock US ouster of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro in January has led to unprecedented collaboration with the administration of interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who remains in power as she bends to Washington's demands.
The Trump administration now has its sights set on Cuba, enforcing a choking oil embargo that has forced the communist government to hastily adopt economic reforms.
This heavy-handed approach has drawn barely any protest from Mexico and Brazil -- the last major leftist strongholds in Latin America -- or from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whose days in office are numbered.
Millionaire lawyer-turned-politician De la Espriella "speaks the language many in Washington want to hear: tougher enforcement," said Rebecca Bill Chavez, president of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank.
Trump had enthusiastically backed De la Espriella in the Colombian vote and has pledged stronger cooperation "which will bring new levels of Greatness for both of our Countries!"
Militarized approach
In March, following the deadly military operation to seize Maduro in Caracas, Trump established the "Shield of the Americas" grouping alongside allies in Latin America to boost regional security.
Evan Ellis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said a conservative-led Colombia will likely join the effort.
"I would indeed expect greater Colombian cooperation in supporting US actions against designated terrorist groups across the region, far beyond Colombia," he told AFP.
One point of friction in the ambitious US security agenda had been discord between Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa and Colombia's Petro over anti-narcotics military operations conducted by Washington and Quito.
"With Daniel Noboa, de la Espriella, and Washington all pushing in the same direction, the politics are as aligned as they have been in years," Chavez said.
Across the region, several conservative governments have adopted Trump's militarized anti-narcotics strategy, as well as the mass incarceration model championed by El Salvador's Nayib Bukele.
Panama is preparing to announce changes to its prison system in July following inmate escapes, while Honduras plans to purchase drones from Ukraine for its anti-drug efforts.
Ideological shift
In Washington, debate at the Organization of American States underscores that this ideological shift is not being driven solely by Trump.
Latin American views on organized crime and migration pressures have shifted right, as evidenced by Chile, where ultra-conservative Jose Antonio Kast won the presidency on pledges of harsh crackdowns.
The solidarity that many Latin American nations showed Cuba over the years has largely evaporated.
"The next step, as in Venezuela, is logically (US) military demonstrations, possibly leading to a military strike," Ellis said.
The political winds blowing in the White House's favor in Latin America stand in contrast to Trump's difficulties at home, where his party could lose control of Congress in November's midterm elections.
This is compounded by constant friction with Europe, including with long-standing allies, and headaches over Iran and Israel.
© 2026 AFP
Left-wing candidate concedes tight Colombia election
Bogotá (AFP) – Colombian leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda on Wednesday conceded defeat in the tightly fought presidential election won by hard-right rival Abelardo de la Espriella.
Issued on: 24/06/2026 - RFI
'Authoritarian subjugation'
The president-elect will enter public office for the first time in August, marking the end of Colombia's first-ever leftist government.
A millionaire lawyer who made a fortune defending drug traffickers and fraudsters, he has pledged to use a heavy hand on crime.
In an interview with AFP during the campaign, he said he would seek US and Israeli support to conduct bombing campaigns against guerrillas.
In an X post on Wednesday, he said Colombia and Israel would share a relationship "like never before" after speaking with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
"Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel," he said, in a reversal of Petro's decision to sever ties with the country following its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
De la Espriella is taking the helm of a deeply divided country that is enduring the highest levels of violence in a decade.
He once called for the Colombian political left to be "gutted" but later toned down his words.
Cepeda warned that he would reject "any attempt at authoritarian subjugation" under the incoming administration.
"We will resort, if necessary, to resistance and peaceful civil disobedience," he said.
Post-election unrest mainly occurred in the cities of Bogota and Cali on Sunday night, where protesters started fires and lobbed objects at riot police, who used tear gas on the crowd.
Cepeda urged "composure and calm" following these incidents, during which demonstrators burned US flags in reference to De la Espriella's rapport with the Trump administration.
Trump offered his hearty congratulations to De la Espriella on Monday.
"I look forward to working together to build a powerful relationship between Colombia and the United States of America, which will bring new levels of Greatness for both of our Countries!" he wrote on Truth Social.
© 2026 AFP
Bogotá (AFP) – Colombian leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda on Wednesday conceded defeat in the tightly fought presidential election won by hard-right rival Abelardo de la Espriella.
Issued on: 24/06/2026 - RFI
Ivan Cepeda (left) lost the election to Abelardo de la Espriella (right) by less than a percentage point © Raul ARBOLEDA, Jaime SALDARRIAGA / AFP/Fil
Cepeda lost Sunday's runoff by less than one percentage point and has distanced himself from violence that has emerged in post-election protests.
After earlier saying he would wait for the vote count to finish, he told reporters that he had "decided to accept the result emerging from that process."
"I do it to contribute to coexistence, peace and dialogue among Colombians," he added.
The leftist senator is an ally of President Gustavo Petro, who has alleged electoral fraud and raised the possibility of annulling the vote due to the "direct intervention" of the United States.
De la Espriella received enthusiastic backing from US President Donald Trump before and after Sunday's runoff vote.
The European Union's Election Observation Mission to Colombia (MOE) on Tuesday gave the election a clean bill of health.
Accepting the result "does not mean renouncing the truth or remaining silent in the face of events we consider serious," Cepeda said, referring to what he called "open and improper foreign interference" in the elections.
Cepeda lost Sunday's runoff by less than one percentage point and has distanced himself from violence that has emerged in post-election protests.
After earlier saying he would wait for the vote count to finish, he told reporters that he had "decided to accept the result emerging from that process."
"I do it to contribute to coexistence, peace and dialogue among Colombians," he added.
The leftist senator is an ally of President Gustavo Petro, who has alleged electoral fraud and raised the possibility of annulling the vote due to the "direct intervention" of the United States.
De la Espriella received enthusiastic backing from US President Donald Trump before and after Sunday's runoff vote.
The European Union's Election Observation Mission to Colombia (MOE) on Tuesday gave the election a clean bill of health.
Accepting the result "does not mean renouncing the truth or remaining silent in the face of events we consider serious," Cepeda said, referring to what he called "open and improper foreign interference" in the elections.
'Authoritarian subjugation'
The president-elect will enter public office for the first time in August, marking the end of Colombia's first-ever leftist government.
A millionaire lawyer who made a fortune defending drug traffickers and fraudsters, he has pledged to use a heavy hand on crime.
In an interview with AFP during the campaign, he said he would seek US and Israeli support to conduct bombing campaigns against guerrillas.
In an X post on Wednesday, he said Colombia and Israel would share a relationship "like never before" after speaking with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
"Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel," he said, in a reversal of Petro's decision to sever ties with the country following its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
De la Espriella is taking the helm of a deeply divided country that is enduring the highest levels of violence in a decade.
He once called for the Colombian political left to be "gutted" but later toned down his words.
Cepeda warned that he would reject "any attempt at authoritarian subjugation" under the incoming administration.
"We will resort, if necessary, to resistance and peaceful civil disobedience," he said.
Post-election unrest mainly occurred in the cities of Bogota and Cali on Sunday night, where protesters started fires and lobbed objects at riot police, who used tear gas on the crowd.
Cepeda urged "composure and calm" following these incidents, during which demonstrators burned US flags in reference to De la Espriella's rapport with the Trump administration.
Trump offered his hearty congratulations to De la Espriella on Monday.
"I look forward to working together to build a powerful relationship between Colombia and the United States of America, which will bring new levels of Greatness for both of our Countries!" he wrote on Truth Social.
© 2026 AFP
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