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Colombia will hold presidential elections on May 31, with a runoff on June 21 if no candidate wins an outright majority. The race features three candidates: Ivan Cepeda, representing the same left-wing party as current President Gustavo Petro; Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer and entrepreneur with no prior public office experience; and Paloma Valencia, a right-wing senator supported by former President Alvaro Uribe.
Cepeda supports continuing Petro’s redistributive and social initiatives, while Valencia advocates fiscal consolidation through spending cuts and increased oil and gas production. Valencia also opposes several of Petro’s reforms, citing concerns over fiscal and institutional stability. De la Espriella backs a strong right-wing agenda centered on security, streamlined regulations and minimal government. His plans echo Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s tough security strategy and Argentine President Javier Milei’s minimalist state model.
