Colombia runoff puts de la Espriella ahead

A narrow preliminary runoff lead for Abelardo de la Espriella could shift Colombia right on crime and U.S. ties, while final counts and judicial checks remain decisive.

1. Frame 1Preliminary runoff results put right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella ahead, giving Colombia a possible hard security turn.
2. Frame 2With 99% counted, de la Espriella stood at 49.7%, ahead of Senator Ivan Cepeda.
3. Frame 3Registry data showed 99.96% counted: 49.66% for de la Espriella, 48.70% for Cepeda.
4. Frame 4He campaigned on tough-on-crime policies and promised ten mega-prisons, borrowing from El Salvador's security model.
5. Frame 5Trump endorsed him and said the result mattered for Colombia's relationship with the United States.
6. Frame 6Cepeda had not conceded, and Petro said the count and judicial checks must decide the presidency.