Colombia Election: Right-wing Abelardo de la Espriella wins, initial count shows

The Americas Colombia Election: Right-wing Abelardo de la Espriella wins, initial count shows Updated June 21, 202610:12 PM ET Originally published June 21, 202610:12 PM ET By  John Otis Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement. Rodrigo Abd/AP hide caption toggle caption Rodrigo Abd/AP BOGOTA, Colombia—Right-wing populist candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has narrowly won Colombia's presidential election based on the preliminary "quick count" released by electoral authorities. With over 99% of the vote counted in the preliminary tally, de la Espriella leads with 49.7% over his left-wing opponent Iván Cepeda, who has secured 48.7%. The remaining ballots were blank votes. The razor-thin margin means no final result has been certified, and a slower, official manual count is expected over the coming days. Historically, Colombia's quick counts have closely tracked final certified results. Reacting to the result, De la Espriella posted on social media: "Today begins a new stage for our country, a stage built on the free and democratic will of millions of citizens who chose to believe in a great, safe, and prosperous Colombia full of opportunities." Sponsor Message In a speech on Sunday evening, Cepeda, a close ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, said that while he recognizes the quick count result, his campaign is challenging results from around 33,000 ballot boxes. In a series of posts on social media, Petro alleged irregularities in the preliminary vote count, and called for calm, declaring that neither candidate could "be proclaimed" until the initial count vote count was ratified. Security was voters' top concern in the election according to pollsters. Colombia's armed conflict, which has lasted for decades, has intensified in recent years as armed groups and cartels expand their control over drug trafficking routes and illegal mining operations. Membership in groups has reportedly doubled over...