Colombia’s presidential race poised for run-off

Colombian right-wing foreigner Abelardo de la Espreilla is preparing to compete in the second round against left-wing senator Ivan Cepeda in the country’s presidential race.

Data from the country’s national registry office showed that no candidate had reached the more than 50 percent support needed to avoid a runoff as the majority of votes were counted nationwide on Sunday.

De La Espriella and Cepeda’s numbers were close; The right-wing lawyer received 44 percent support, and the longtime senator and activist received 41 percent support.

Lawyer and businessman De La Espriella has never held elected office, but his style and policy proposals have drawn comparisons to El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.

Portraying himself as an outsider free of political baggage, De La Espriella, 47, has proposed a harsh offensive against illegal armed groups, the construction of 10 mega-prisons and alleviating poverty through better education, health care and housing for the poorest.

Cepeda, a 63-year-old lawmaker, is leading in opinion polls, but polls show he will face much tougher competition in the second round if right-wing and centrist voters no longer have multiple candidates to choose from.

Cepeda, the son of a slain communist leader, vowed to maintain peace with illegal armed groups through negotiations; this policy has led to little progress under the current leader, President Gustavo Petro.

It also plans to deepen reforms aimed at reducing inequality and poverty, including increasing taxes on high-income earners, gifting one million hectares of land to victims of the country’s six-decade civil conflict, and expanding health care coverage.

De La Espriella, who has legally represented controversial figures including former Venezuelan minister Alex Saab, warned that Cepeda would ensure the continuation of Petro’s much-criticized economic policies, including a ban on new oil projects.