Even when the outcomes of the primary spherical on Sunday are solely partial, the poster for the second spherical of the presidential election in Colombia is now identified. And the duel will pit two radically opposed political figures in opposition to one another.
The eccentric millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella is forward of senator and thinker Ivan Cepeda (41%) with 44% of the vote, whereas 99% of the polling stations have transmitted their outcomes and 57% of the ballots have been counted. The 2 candidates will meet within the second spherical scheduled for June 21.
Ivan Cepeda, the inheritor of left-wing outgoing Gustavo Petro
Ivan Cepeda was one of many architects of “complete peace”, a coverage by way of which the federal government tried, unsuccessfully, to barter with armed teams.
Aged 63, he’s the son of a communist senator assassinated by police allied to the paramilitaries within the Nineteen Nineties. The violence concentrating on left-wing leaders at the moment pressured him to enter exile on a number of events, notably in Bulgaria and Cuba. Upon his return to Colombia, he grew to become an advocate for victims of the armed battle and performed a key position within the negotiations for the peace settlement with the state in 2016 which led to the disarmament of the Farc guerrillas.
This progressive, admirer of Gandhi and sworn enemy of the conservative former president Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010), advocates the continuation of the social reforms initiated by the nation’s first left-wing president, the outgoing Gustavo Petro, together with a big improve within the minimal wage. Though he lived within the Soviet bloc, Ivan Cepeda rejects communism and focuses on “productive” and “diversified capitalism”. His opponents name him “inheritor to the Farc”.
Abelardo de la Espriella, an “outsider” on a tough line
Presenting himself as an “outsider” who doesn’t belong to “the political caste”, Abelardo de la Espriella, 47, is a lawyer and businessman. He explains that he entered politics to forestall Colombia from being “destroyed” by the left. Advocating an iron fist in issues of safety, this candidate, who likes to be known as “The Tiger”, is searching for elected workplace for the primary time.
In a Colombia strongly imbued with Catholicism, this father of 4 kids claims to have “discovered God”. Of Colombian and American nationality, Abelardo de la Espriella says he admires the leaders of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele of Argentina, Javier Mileyand the American president Donald Trump.
He has defended many figures within the nation, together with drug traffickers and soccer stars. Earlier than working for president, he lived within the Italian metropolis of Florence, doing enterprise in rum and wine and touring by personal jet.
To fight armed teams within the nation, the world’s main producer of cocaine, Abelardo de la Espriella proposes a army alliance with the USA and Israel and the development of mega prisons. He additionally desires to scale back the scale of the state by 40%.
In the course of the marketing campaign, he was accused of homophobia and sexism. Specifically, he claims that girls vote for him due to the scale of his genitals. However that did not dampen his reputation.
