From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Colombia leftist Cepeda concedes in presidential race
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleColombian leftist senator Ivan Cepeda concedes in the country’s presidential race, saying that political differences should be solved with respect and dialogue, though he accused his rival of vote-buying.
Cepeda was less than 1% behind the winner, right-wing pro-Israel lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella, in an initial vote count, winning 48.7%, and had said he would wait for a final verification of the count by the country’s national registrar.
The registrar said yesterday that the final count differed by just 0.003% from the initial one.
“I have decided to accept the result that emerges from this process, which indicates that Abelardo De La Espriella is the new president of the republic. I do so as an act of democratic responsibility; I do so to contribute to coexistence, to peace, and to dialogue among Colombians,” Cepeda tells journalists at his party’s headquarters in Bogota.
Cepeda criticizes what he says was foreign interference by US President Donald Trump — who endorsed De La Espriella — in the race, says voters were manipulated by content made with artificial intelligence and accuses De La Espriella of a massive vote-buying operation, without providing evidence.
De La Espriella, who has promised a crackdown on crime and an economic revival, has also accused Cepeda of vote-buying, without providing evidence.
The Times of Israel Community.