A Trump-backed populist narrowly wins Colombia’s presidential vote, sparking protests

Barranquilla, Colombia – A respected US-backed lawyer who has never held public office narrowly won Colombia dividing the presidential election On Sunday, it throws the country to the right and sparks violent protests.

With almost all the votes counted, Abelardo de la Espriella held 49.66 percent of the votes compared to 48.70 percent of Senator Ivan Cepeda.

The suspect is 47 years old a small victory it has sparked protests, but it will strain relations with Washington and widen the region’s right-wing wave of “iron fist” security policies.

“We are starting a new era!” he told fans in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla from behind tough bulletproof glass.

“For those who sowed violence, fear, drug trafficking, and corruption all these years, their time is up!” he said, echoing his vow to fight drug-using terrorist groups.

President Trump was delighted with the result, exclaiming “You won, GREAT!” as dozens of right-wing leaders from all over the Americas cried out in congratulations and support.

But after a campaign marred by terrorist bombings and the assassination of a conservative ex-president, there was an immediate sign of how difficult it would be for De la Espriella to unite this divided nation.

As night fell, thousands of protesters gathered in major Colombian cities.

In Cali, some burned American flags as others used irons and scuffled with riot police, who tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas.

There was also unrest in the capital Bogota, where protesters burned tires and threw bricks at police.

“For many years we have had right-wing governments that only care about getting rich,” 26-year-old student Natalia told AFP.

But in some places, there was joy.

De la Espriella’s supporters lined the streets of several cities wearing the bright yellow national football jersey he adopted as his campaign uniform.

They wave flags, blow horns and express hope that the “Tiger,” as they call it, will bring security.

“I’m very happy,” said 30-year-old supporter Daniela Oliveros in Barranquilla. “I believe very much in the country, I believe very much in freedom.”

“Abelardo, at the moment, gives us above all a sense of security, employment, and dignity,” he said.

De la Espriella strikes a reassuring tone

With only a few thousand votes separating the two candidates — De la Espriella used his victory speech to try to silence his critics.

“Mine will be a democratic government that ensures the freedom and order of institutions,” he said, vowing to respect all races, religions and political groups.

“I will rule all Colombians, those who voted for me and those who chose someone else,” he added.

His victory means a return to power for Colombia’s right wing, which has ruled for only four of the past 200 years.

It could test Colombia’s ten-year fragile peace process.

During the campaign, the US-Colombian man told AFP that he would abandon peace talks with opposition groups and begin a 90-day campaign against US-backed airstrikes.

In the 10 years since a landmark peace deal was signed with the FARC rebels, much of Colombia has prospered.

But cartels and opposition groups still control the country’s pockets, cocaine exports are high and Colombia remains one of the most economically unequal countries in the world.

“Colombia’s best days are yet to come,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adding that Washington “looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration.”

Cepeda is holding back on the concession

His opponent, Cepeda, a 63-year-old leftist, stopped short of conceding defeat.

“Once the calculation is completed and the result is known, and the corresponding checks have been made, we will accept the official result,” he told his followers.

For Cepeda to win, hundreds of thousands of votes will need to be discarded in the final count. The margin of error for the first count is usually in the low thousands.

No recount has ever overturned the results of any presidential election in Colombia, the Associated Press said.

De la Espriella warned Cepeda to respect the vote, build an opposition and “not even think about inciting violence.”

“The tiger can bite you more than it bit you at the ballot box,” he warned.