Colombians vote in a presidential runoff that pits an outsider against a progressive

In this combination of photos shows presidential candidates Abelardo de la Espriella, left, on May 6, 2026, and Ivan Cepeda on May 31, 2026, in Bogota, Colombia. (AP Photo)2026-06-21T07:00:41Z BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A deeply divided electorate will choose Colombia’s next president in a runoff on Sunday that pits a progressive against a conservative outsider, with both candidates tapping into fears of a renewed internal conflict in the country.Voters will choose between businessman and lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda, a lawmaker and heir to the political movement of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, the nation’s first leftist leader. The two defeated nine other contenders in a May 31 vote.Both are pitching strategies that they say will prevent the South American country from experiencing the nonstop merciless violence, such as car bombs, kidnappings, disappearances and forced displacements that Colombians lived with in previous decades. Supporters of Historic Pact coalition presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda attend his campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Supporters of Historic Pact coalition presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda attend his campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) --> Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Supporters of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella attend his campaign rally in Buga, Colombia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga) Supporters of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella attend his campaign rally in Buga, Colombia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga) --> Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More De la Espriella is proposing a heavy-handed approach that has earned him the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump. Cepeda is promising to continue Petro’s efforts, including attempts at establishing dialogue with multiple illegal armed groups even though those efforts have largely failed. The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country’s struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption. “Right now, what worries me is the polarization that exists between us: there are two very extreme sides, and the violence is concerning,” John Manrique, a lawyer in the capital, Bogota, said as he walked his dog. Read More “What I hope is that people accept who won,” he added. “Let’s accept it, regardless of the side, and try to reach a social consensus. … Let’s not go out and fight.”In the first round, Cepeda earned 41% of the vote, while de la Espriella garnered 44%, according to official results. Petro, without evidence, sowed doubts in the results after Cepeda, who had consistently lead polls ahead of the May vote, did not win outright and even finished behind de la Espriella. Fighting between rebel groups plagues the nationThe election comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, that had offered hope to break the nation’s vicious cycle of fighting between rebel groups and the government.But violence has since roared back, particularly as most rebel groups abandoned their ideologically driven fight for the financial benefits of drug trafficking. Historic Pact coalition presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda waves during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Historic Pact coalition presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda waves during a campaign rally in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) --> Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella stands before supporters from inside a bulletproof booth during his campaign rally in Buga, Colombia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga) Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella stands before supporters from inside a bulletproof booth during his campaign rally in Buga, Colombia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga) --> Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides, the most since at least 2015 and dri