De la Espriella, “El Tigre" votes in Colombia's presidential election

Описание: (31 May 2026)
SUMMARY RESTRICTIONS

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Barranquilla, Colombia - May 31, 2026
1. Various of candidate Abelardo de la Espriella arriving at the polling place, people chanting "president"
2. Bulletproof shield covering de la Espriella
3. Candidate voting
4. 2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Abelardo de la Espriella, presidential candidate of the Defenders of the Motherland movement:
"Today we are defending Colombia’s democracy and freedom. This is the most important battle in our republican history, and we are going to win in the first round to defeat tyranny and defeat the same (politicians). Thank you."
5. Various shots of people voting
6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Andrea Munar, voter in Barranquilla:
"We as Colombians must mark history, make a difference in history, because we must change all that we are going through."
7. Various of people voting
8. People can be heard chanting "Petro out!"
9. Man voting
STORYLINE:
Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella vod in the country's presidential election on Sunday.

De la Espriella — a bombastic lawyer known as “The Tiger” — has particularly gained traction among voters in recent weeks for pitching himself as an outsider keen on emulating the heavy-handed tactics used in El Salvador’s war on gangs, which sharply reduced gang violence but fueled accusations of human rights abuses.

Running against Espriella is Senator and peace-builder Ivan Cepeda — a Petro ally — has led the polls and promises to carry on with Petro's “total peace” initiative to negotiate with the country’s remaining rebel groups and sign peace agreements with them in an effort to resolve the persistent crisis.

Some voters on Sunday said Colombians must make their mark in history.

"We as Colombians must mark history, make a difference in history, because we must change all that we are going through," said Andrea Munar, a voter in Barranquilla.

There are 14 candidates on the ballot, but the election has basically turned into a three-horse race, Espriella, Cepeda and Paloma Valencia, who considered the political protege of Colombia's former president and strongman Álvaro Uribe, who governed from 2002 to 2010 with strong support from the United States and whose government beat back FARC rebels in an offensive that took a massive civilian toll.

Both de la Espriella and Valencia have touted their affinity for U.S. President Donald Trump even as he has taken a more aggressive stance toward Latin America than any U.S. president in decades and has pressured nations like Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico to more forcefully crack down on criminal groups.

If no candidate wins at least 50% of the vote — something extremely rare in Colombia — the two top vote-getters will face a runoff in June.

AP video by Marko Alvarez.

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