{"id":357,"date":"2026-06-01T12:10:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T12:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357"},"modified":"2026-06-01T12:10:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T12:10:17","slug":"pro-trump-candidate-takes-lead-in-colombias-presidential-race-with-promise-of-crime-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357","title":{"rendered":"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

BOGOT\u00c1, Colombia (AP) \u2014 Bombastic pro-Trump lawyer Aberaldo de la Espriella pulled ahead as a leader in Colombia\u2019s race for the presidency<\/span> in the first round of elections over the weekend, capitalizing on a growing appetite for heavy-handed crackdowns on criminal groups across Latin America.<\/p>\n

Read more Israel orders strikes on Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs as Hezbollah rockets hit northern Israel<\/a><\/p>\n

But the second-place finisher, progressive senator Iv\u00e1n Cepeda, and his ally President Gustavo Petro questioned the results of the election Sunday night without providing evidence.<\/p>\n

De la Espriella rapidly gained traction in the lead up to Sunday\u2019s election, winning nearly 44% of the vote, and surpassing progressive senator Iv\u00e1n Cepeda, who had consistently led polling throughout the campaign and won less than 41% of the vote.<\/p>\n

The two are slated to continue on to a run-off election on June 21, where de la Espriella is expected to scoop up additional votes from Colombians who supported other conservative candidates in the first round.<\/p>\n

Cepeda will face an uphill battle in the runoff, said Sergio Guzm\u00e1n, a Colombian political analyst. \u201cAbelardo de la Espriella won the first round. In other words, that\u2019s a shift in public opinion that is very difficult to overcome. So now Abelardo is emerging as the likely favorite to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Joining a political shift in the Americas<\/h2>\n

De la Espriella, known as \u201cEl Tigre\u201d or \u201cThe Tiger,\u201d has never held office in Colombia and prided himself on living a luxurious life in Italy before becoming deciding to run for president. He pitched himself as an outsider who would cozy up to President Donald Trump and follow El Salvador President Nayib Bukele\u2019s war on gangs<\/span>, which has driven down homicide rates but fueled accusations of human rights abuses. <\/p>\n

\u201cI will wipe out narcoterrorism and those who I\u2019ve declared a military target like cockroaches, like rats. I will unleash upon them the wrath of God never seen before ,\u201d De la Espriella said in an interview with The Associated Press in the final stretch of the campaign, where he promised to open 10 mega-prisons to fight crime.<\/p>\n

He joins a growing number of leaders across Latin America \u2013 from Chile to Honduras \u2013 seeking to latch onto the \u201cBukele model\u201d as voters across Latin America are increasingly ditching leaders that pitched progressive policies<\/span> aimed at addressing the root issues of conflict, such as lack of opportunities for young people and corruption. <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

De la Espriella\u2019s supporters come from a wide range of backgrounds. Yolanda Per\u00e9z, a 64-year-old women serving coffee in the downtown of Colombia\u2019s capital of Bogot\u00e1 who smoked a cigarette and said with a wink the day before the election: \u201cI\u2019m thinking of voting for El Tigre.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Miguel Maheca, a 20-year-old first time voter flashed a paper showing that he voted to his mom while he strolled out of the voting station on Sunday, saying with a grin, \u201cLove isn\u2019t what\u2019s going to make us safe in Colombia.\u201d<\/p>\n

But experts say El Salvador\u2019s security successes will be nearly impossible to replicate in a place like Colombia, which is more than 50 times larger than the Central American nation and has many more armed groups warring for territory. <\/p>\n

Read more Total blackout strikes St. Thomas and St. John in the US Virgin Islands twice this weekend<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The polarized vote comes as the Trump administration is playing a more aggressive role in Latin America than any U.S. government in decades, placing mounting pressure on countries like Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador to crack down on crime. <\/p>\n

De la Espriella, 47, made a name for himself as a lawyer defending high-profile clients such as former President \u00c1lvaro Uribe (2002\u20132010), as well as controversial figures like Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuela\u2019s ousted president Nicol\u00e1s Maduro who faces legal issues in the U.S.<\/span> and whom he stopped representing about seven years ago.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

A blow to Cepeda<\/h2>\n

De la Espriella\u2019s rise as a presidential candidate spells trouble for progressive Cepeda, who consistently led polls in the lead up to Sunday\u2019s election, though his competitor quickly gained speed in the weeks ahead of the vote.<\/p>\n

Cepeda is a progressive senator who has promised to carry on his ally Petro\u2019s fraught plan to achieve \u201ctotal peace\u201d<\/span> by negotiating peace pacts with guerrillas and criminal gangs. <\/p>\n

Their political movement was born from a fierce rejection by many Colombians of a militarized offensive by Uribe in decades past used to beat back the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which ended in thousands of civilians being killed by Colombian forces in a scandal known as \u201cfalse positives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. De la Espriella \u201crepresents a return to the paramilitary politics and drug-trafficking, \u2013 a mafia-run, plutocratic, and corrupt past that the country experienced during \u00c1lvaro Uribe\u2019s two administrations,\u201d Cepeda said on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Petro, a former rebel, won Colombia\u2019s presidency in 2022 in a historic election that ended decades of right-wing domination by leaders from Uribe\u2019s political movement. He gained massive support from rural-dwelling, indigenous and poorer Colombians who felt they had never been directly spoken to by Colombian leaders.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Now, that movement is backed into a corner.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is De la Espriella\u2019s election to lose,\u201d wrote Renata Segura, director of International Crisis Group\u2019s Latin America and the Caribbean Program. \u201cCepeda thought he could win appealing squarely to the left, and that proved to be a massive mistake. How he pivots in the next month will determine if he has any chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow AP\u2019s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/latin-america<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Blast at building storing explosives in Myanmar kills more than 45 people<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pro-Trump lawyer Aberaldo de la Espriella leads Colombia\u2019s presidential race after the first round of elections over the weekend. He won nearly 44% of the vote, surpassing progressive senator Iv\u00e1n Cepeda, who had led in polls but received less than 41%. De la Espriella, known for his tough stance on crime, is expected to gain more support in the June 21 runoff. His rise reflects a shift in Latin America towards leaders favoring heavy-handed crime policies. Cepeda, who supports peace negotiations, faces a challenging path ahead. Experts say replicating El Salvador’s security model in Colombia will be difficult.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nPro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown - Top Moving Pros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown - Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pro-Trump lawyer Aberaldo de la Espriella leads Colombia\u2019s presidential race after the first round of elections over the weekend. He won nearly 44% of the vote, surpassing progressive senator Iv\u00e1n Cepeda, who had led in polls but received less than 41%. De la Espriella, known for his tough stance on crime, is expected to gain more support in the June 21 runoff. His rise reflects a shift in Latin America towards leaders favoring heavy-handed crime policies. Cepeda, who supports peace negotiations, faces a challenging path ahead. Experts say replicating El Salvador's security model in Colombia will be difficult.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-01T12:10:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\"},\"headline\":\"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-01T12:10:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357\"},\"wordCount\":965,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/51982ba0561ee2de451f42ec52d885a7-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"World News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357\",\"name\":\"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown - Top Moving Pros\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/51982ba0561ee2de451f42ec52d885a7-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-01T12:10:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/51982ba0561ee2de451f42ec52d885a7-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/51982ba0561ee2de451f42ec52d885a7-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defenders of the Motherland movement depart a polling station after voting during the presidential election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo\\\/Ivan Valencia)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?p=357#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Top Moving Pros\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topmovingpross.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown - Top Moving Pros","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown - Top Moving Pros","og_description":"Pro-Trump lawyer Aberaldo de la Espriella leads Colombia\u2019s presidential race after the first round of elections over the weekend. He won nearly 44% of the vote, surpassing progressive senator Iv\u00e1n Cepeda, who had led in polls but received less than 41%. De la Espriella, known for his tough stance on crime, is expected to gain more support in the June 21 runoff. His rise reflects a shift in Latin America towards leaders favoring heavy-handed crime policies. Cepeda, who supports peace negotiations, faces a challenging path ahead. Experts say replicating El Salvador's security model in Colombia will be difficult.","og_url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357","og_site_name":"Top Moving Pros","article_published_time":"2026-06-01T12:10:17+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8"},"headline":"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown","datePublished":"2026-06-01T12:10:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357"},"wordCount":965,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/51982ba0561ee2de451f42ec52d885a7-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["World News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357","name":"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown - Top Moving Pros","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/51982ba0561ee2de451f42ec52d885a7-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-01T12:10:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/51982ba0561ee2de451f42ec52d885a7-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/51982ba0561ee2de451f42ec52d885a7-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defenders of the Motherland movement depart a polling station after voting during the presidential election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ivan Valencia)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=357#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pro-Trump candidate takes lead in Colombia\u2019s presidential race with promise of crime crackdown"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/","name":"Top Moving Pros","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d120f8ae15027244cf4e8ea553e290f8","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/topmovingpross.com"],"url":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}