(22 Jun 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Barranquilla, Colombia - 21 June 2026
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Various of Abelardo De La Espriella, Colombian conservative presidential candidate, arriving to address supporters
2. Abelardo De La Espriella with his family
3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Abelardo De La Espriella, Colombian presidential candidate:
“My fellow citizens, with infinite gratitude to God, my heart filled with emotion, and immense love for Colombia, I stand before you tonight to announce the most important news of my life. The Colombian people have entrusted me with the supreme honor of serving as their next President of the Republic of Colombia.”
4. Supporters of Abelardo De La Espriella
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Abelardo De La Espriella, Colombian presidential candidate:
“From this moment on, the election campaign ends; the slogans end; the divisions end; the political confrontations end—and the supreme hour of service to the homeland begins.”
6. Abelardo De La Espriella with his friends
7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Abelardo De La Espriella, Colombian presidential candidate:
“I have asked Mr. Petro (the current president of Colombia) and his successor (Iván Cepeda) to respect the will of the Colombian people. Today, Colombians have elected me under the same system used four years ago. That same system elected the person who is now the occupant of the Casa de Nariño (Government Palace).
8. Supporters of Abelardo De La Espriella
9. Various of Abelardo De La Espriella thanking his supporters

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bogota, Colombia - 21 June 2026
10. Ivan Cepeda, candidate for the Colombian presidency, alongside his supporters
11. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Ivan Cepeda, Colombian presidential candidate:
“And that is why tonight I must say the following: we recognize the preliminary vote count conducted tonight as data that is neither official nor binding.”
12. Ivan Cepeda with his supporters
13. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Ivan Cepeda, Colombian presidential candidate:
“I call on our entire team and election monitoring network to remain vigilant regarding the vote count at each polling station, their official records, and their results.”
14. Various of Ivan Cepeda with his supporters after hearing the election results
STORYLINE:
Political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella held a razor-thin lead in Colombia’s presidential election with nearly all the votes counted Sunday, in a runoff vote marked by people’s fears of a renewed internal conflict.

“My fellow citizens, with infinite gratitude to God, my heart filled with emotion, and immense love for Colombia, I stand before you tonight to announce the most important news of my life," said de la Espriella.

"The Colombian people have entrusted me with the supreme honor of serving as their next President of the Republic of Colombia,” he said while addressing supporters.

A victory by de la Espriella would effectively be an indictment of the policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, whose protégé had promised to continue his agenda if he defeated his rival.

De la Espriella, a business owner and lawyer who earned U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for office, led progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda taking 49.7% of the votes, with 99.9% of the results released by electoral authorities. Cepeda, Petro’s ally, earned 48.7% support.

Election officials have not formally announced a winner.

AP Video by Cesar Olmos and Samuel Sotomayor

===========================================================


Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/797e1a39266d4973b9c9a8bbcc958e2d