{"id":110435,"date":"2026-06-22T13:19:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/?p=110435"},"modified":"2026-06-22T13:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:23:18","slug":"rise-of-trumps-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/rise-of-trumps-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Rise of \u201cTrump\u2019s man\u201d to Colombia\u2019s presidency sparks street unrest and protests"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

The presidential elections in Colombia have brought a new political shift within the Latin American landscape, after a runoff round resulted in a narrow victory for the right-wing candidate \u201cAbelardo de la Espria.\u201d While his supporters celebrated the outcome, protests erupted in several cities rejecting the results, reflecting the deep political polarization in the country.<\/p>\n

A victory that strengthens the rise of the right in Colombia<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The lawyer and businessman \u201cAbelardo de la Espria,\u201d who is backed by the United States and has never previously held public office, won the controversial runoff held on Sunday, narrowly defeating his left-wing rival \u201cIv\u00e1n Cepeda.\u201d<\/p>\n

With most votes counted, \u201cde la Espria,\u201d about 47 years old and relatively new to politics, secured the presidency against the leftist senator. Preliminary results showed him with 49.7% of the vote compared to 48.7% for his opponent, a philosopher and human rights advocate.<\/p>\n

His election places Colombia among a growing number of Latin American countries shifting toward right-wing politics, following Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador, with leaders aligned with Washington quickly congratulating the president-elect.<\/p>\n

An agenda focused on security and reducing the state<\/strong><\/h2>\n

During his campaign, \u201cde la Espria\u201d pledged a hardline security approach and stronger action against organized crime. He is known for his admiration of Salvadoran President \u201cNayib Bukele\u201d and Argentine President \u201cJavier Milei,\u201d and has vowed to build large prisons with strict conditions for inmates, as well as to bomb drug trafficking camps with support from the United States and Israel.<\/p>\n

He also promised to reduce the size of the government workforce by 40%, as part of a broader plan to shrink the state apparatus. He is set to assume office on August 7, at a time when Colombia continues to face growing security challenges linked to more than six decades of internal armed conflict.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, his opponent \u201cIv\u00e1n Cepeda\u201d refused to concede before the final vote count is completed, announcing plans to challenge results from around 33,000 polling stations.<\/p>\n

Cepeda, about 63, enjoys strong support among the working class and is considered one of the key allies of outgoing President \u201cGustavo Petro.\u201d His campaign highlighted social and economic gains achieved during Colombia\u2019s first left-wing government, including reduced poverty and improved wages, despite persistent inequality.<\/p>\n

Celebrations for the president-elect<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Behind bulletproof glass, \u201cde la Espria\u201d celebrated what he called \u201cthe beginning of a new era\u201d in front of thousands of supporters gathered in Barranquilla in the north of the country.<\/p>\n

Nicknamed \u201cthe Tiger\u201d by his supporters, the president-elect pledged to continue pursuing armed drug trafficking groups, vowing to confront \u201cbandits without mercy\u201d within the framework of the constitution and law, and to govern for all Colombians without exception.<\/p>\n

He also promised to restore security and stability after an election campaign marked by violence, including armed attacks and the assassination of a presidential candidate.<\/p>\n

His victory received clear support from the United States, with President \u201cDonald Trump\u201d posting a photo of the Colombian millionaire on Truth Social with the message: \u201cHe won, and by a large margin.\u201d US Secretary of State \u201cMarco Rubio\u201d also congratulated the president-elect, praising prospects for future cooperation on security and illegal immigration.<\/p>\n

Protests and clashes in several cities<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At the same time, thousands of supporters of \u201cde la Espria\u201d took to the streets in several Colombian cities to celebrate, wearing the yellow jersey of the national football team, which he adopted as a symbol of his campaign.<\/p>\n

However, celebrations were accompanied by protests elsewhere. In Cali, the country\u2019s third-largest city, demonstrators opposing the election results burned US flags and clashed with riot police, according to AFP reporters.<\/p>\n

Similar protests took place in the capital Bogot\u00e1, where groups of young people expressed rejection of the president-elect. Brandon, a 19-year-old student, said the new government does not represent him and vowed that protests would continue. Natalia, a 26-year-old student, said the country needs leadership that serves all citizens, arguing that past right-wing governments focused on enriching the wealthy instead of addressing deep-rooted poverty.<\/p>\n

United News Network \u2013 UNN Arabic<\/strong><\/p>\n

An independent media platform providing reliable news and objective analysis, aiming to promote peace and cultural dialogue worldwide, conveying truth and building bridges of understanding between peoples.<\/p>\n

For more news, visit our homepage:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/un-news.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Author:<\/strong> Advisor Faisal Al-Mutairi
Publication date:<\/strong> June 22, 2026
Update date: June 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The presidential elections in Colombia have brought a new political shift within the Latin American landscape, after a runoff round resulted in a narrow victory for the right-wing candidate \u201cAbelardo de la Espria.\u201d While his supporters celebrated the outcome, protests erupted in several cities rejecting the results, reflecting the deep political polarization in the country. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":110434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-110435","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110435"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110440,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110435\/revisions\/110440"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}