The National Scrutiny Commission of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Colombia today declared far-right candidate Abelardo De la Espriella as the next elected president for the period 2026-2030.

According to the source, the former candidate obtained 12,960,166 votes, while his opponent, the representative of progressivism, Iván Cepeda, achieved 12,708,312.

For tomorrow, it is expected that De la Espriella and his vice-presidential running mate, José Manuel Restrepo, will receive the credentials to assume office before Congress on 7 August.

Cepeda, who will serve as a senator for the next four years, accepted the result of the scrutiny earlier today and recognised his opponent as the country’s new president.

In a press conference, the legislator pointed out that his recognition stems from an act of democratic responsibility «to contribute to coexistence, peace and dialogue.»

He noted, however, that accepting the electoral result does not mean renouncing the truth nor remaining silent in the face of events he described as serious during the campaign.

«During this process, we denounced the open and undue foreign interference in Colombia’s internal affairs, particularly the interventions carried out by the United States government and especially the interventions of President Donald Trump in favour of Abelardo De la Espriella’s candidacy,» he stated.

He also warned how the far-right campaign carried out «a massive vote-buying operation aimed at altering the free expression of popular will, and we also warned that it used sophisticated manipulation strategies using artificial intelligence technologies.»

The country’s president, Gustavo Petro, also questioned the legitimacy of the elections.

He considered that the elections should be declared null and void «due to foreign interference according to the constitution and international law, with public and express confession by the president of the United States.»

Petro argued that his country’s sovereignty was violated with a great deal of money, «including that of drug traffickers and genocides, in order to manipulate the minds of Colombian citizens with evident lies and also with control over the computer system of the Registrar’s Office and the entity’s own cyber defence.»

«We are split in half and it is time to recognise each other, respect each other and agree,» the president stated, alluding to the narrow margin of votes between the far-right candidate and the progressive one after the presidential elections.

«The transition will begin, and my withdrawal, and perhaps peaceful resistance,» he suggested by way of conclusion.