Iván Cepeda, Historical Pact's leftist Colombian presidential candidate (left), and Abelardo de la Espriella, the far-right candidate (right). Photos: Diario Red.
On Sunday, Colombia held one of the most highly contested presidential elections in its recent history. With 99.8% of polling stations reporting in the preliminary quick count, the difference between Iván Cepeda Castro and the Trump-backed far- right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella remains below 1%, a gap of approximately 248,050 votes. However, the preliminary count is not final or legally binding. The official result will depend solely on the complete, official count that began once the polls closed.
The narrow margin keeps the presidential race open. In his speech at the end of election day, Historical Pact candidate Cepeda announced he would challenge the results at 33,000 polling stations. Meanwhile, the Historical Pact will deploy lawyers and thousands of election observers to oversee the review of tally sheets and forms. In this context, national attention has shifted from the preliminary count to the election officials, who are responsible for confirming the final results.
Con los mismos datos de la registraduria, el resultado de pre conteo en este momento es 49,3 por Abelardo y 49 por Cepeda.
No sé puede proclamar ninguno presidente
Es el escrutinio el que determina quién es el presidente. Obedezco a los jueces.
Tranquilidad entre la ciudadanía…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 21, 2026
Amid the electoral uncertainty, Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated that he had previously warned about alleged vulnerabilities in the electoral software used by the National Registry Office. In public statements, he reiterated that he had requested a specialized audit of the system, which was not approved. He denounced alleged alterations to the IP addresses of the agency’s servers. Petro stated that he would present the information to the judicial authorities and requested a complete recount of all polling stations, along with a technical review of the computer systems used during election day. The electoral authorities have not yet issued an official response to these requests.
Political tensions escalated after the preliminary results were released, and the United States was quick to respond. While the relevant authorities announced the beginning of the official vote count to determine the final outcome, US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Alberto de la Espriella to congratulate him on “his victory.”
Trump himself stated that “He won, big,” in reference to De la Espriella.
Similarly, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to De la Espriella as the “president-elect of Colombia” and expressed the US administration’s willingness to work with a future administration led by the far-right candidate. These statements were made before the official vote count began.
Electoral monitoring
The day began at 8 a.m. with National Registrar Hernán Penagos officially opening the polls. He highlighted that over 400,000 law enforcement personnel, nearly 860,000 poll workers, and hundreds of thousands of accredited electoral witnesses had been deployed.
During the election’s opening ceremony, President Petro called on citizens to participate and urged that the day proceed peacefully. He also reiterated his criticism of alleged foreign interference in the elections, noting that he would provide the authorities with information on activities he claimed sought to influence Colombian voters’ decisions.
The day was accompanied by the Electoral Observation Mission, which deployed over 2,600 national and international observers across the country’s regions to monitor the election’s development.
Complaints of irregularities during the voting
By mid-morning, the Interior Ministry reported receiving more than 2,600 complaints and reports of possible electoral irregularities. These included cases of citizens abroad who claimed to have found previously cast votes using their names.
President Petro stated that one of these cases involved his son, who lives abroad and who, according to the president, discovered that another person was listed as a voter at his polling station using his identity. Petro called for increased monitoring of poll watchers abroad and stronger oversight mechanisms.
Hours later, Interior Minister Armando Benedetti warned about reports of alleged voter coercion and complaints related to photographs taken of ballot papers, a practice prohibited by Colombian law.
Cepeda asks the public to wait for official results
After voting in Bogotá, Iván Cepeda stated that he would respect the election results, but warned that his party would conduct a thorough review of the vote count. The candidate noted that any objections or challenges would be processed through the appropriate institutional channels established by electoral law.
In the afternoon, President Petro also condemned the National Registry for publishing E-14 tally sheets without the required signatures of the poll workers. According to the president, those polling stations should be challenged immediately. The denunciation came as preliminary results showed a minimal difference between the two candidates.
The vote count begins along with a new electoral battle
Once voting had concluded at 4:50 p.m., the vote count formally began. The National Registry reminded the public that the preliminary quick results are for informational purposes only and do not constitute a definitive electoral outcome. Consequently, no candidate can be declared the winner before the official review and complete vote count is concluded.
Shortly after, Petro escalated his accusations, stating that there were indications of vulnerabilities in the electoral software and requesting a comprehensive technical audit, referencing Israeli involvement. The president asked for a review of all polling stations and verification of any potential computer malfunctions during the transmission of results.
At 6 p.m., Cepeda appeared before his supporters to deliver a message of political resistance. “We are heading toward the vote count. We are heading toward social mobilization. We are not afraid,” he declared. The leftist candidate emphasized that Historical Pact had significantly increased its vote compared to the first round and claimed the result as the largest ever for the Colombian left in a presidential election.
Cepeda confirmed that his campaign will challenge approximately 33,000 polling stations and announced a nationwide deployment of lawyers and witnesses to verify the legality of the tally sheets. He also thanked President Petro for having driven political transformations in recent years and assured that he will not allow any setbacks to the social gains achieved during this period.
Presidential Elections: Colombia to Choose Between 2 Opposite Poles
The result is still open
At the end of the day, Colombia still had no official president-elect. The difference between the candidates remained below 1%. Meanwhile, the challenges announced, complaints about the electoral forms, and questions about the data transmission system foreshadowed a complex, highly contested vote count.
With millions of votes to be reviewed and thousands of polling stations under observation, the presidential decision rests with the electoral officials.
(Diario Red) by Crismar Lujano and Valeria Duarte
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
