Colombia’s presidential election is turning toward the right after conservative lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella claims victory on preliminary results. Multiple outlets report that De la Espriella, a Trump-backed candidate, leads in the runoff vote and has positioned his win as a shift away from the previous four years of leftist rule under President Gustavo Petro. Deutsche Welle reports a preliminary figure of 49.66% for De la Espriella. Several sources describe the race as extremely close and note that Colombia’s official outcome depends on an official scrutiny process rather than the preliminary count. In comments cited by DW, Petro says that neither candidate can be declared president based on the early results. De la Espriella uses the victory claim to call for calm, urging the left to avoid sparking social unrest, while also outlining priorities that outlets associate with a more security-focused and business-oriented approach. Coverage also frames the potential result as part of a broader regional trend in which Colombia could align more closely with U.S. policy directions favored by Donald Trump, depending on how the final vote count is certified.