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A rift emerged within the campaign of left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda as his top political operative, Juan Fernando Cristo, publicly recognized Abelardo de la Espriella as president-elect, while Cepeda himself stopped short of conceding, citing ongoing scrutiny. The election saw De la Espriella win by a narrow margin of 250,000 votes in the initial count, with a 99.97% match between preliminary and first-phase scrutiny results.
Cristo, former Interior Minister and head of the En Marcha party, broke with Cepeda's stance by congratulating De la Espriella after the first phase of scrutiny. "Los escrutinios concluyeron y sus resultados confirman el triunfo por un estrecho margen de Abelardo de la Espriella," he wrote on social media Source: El Colombiano. Cepeda, however, insisted on waiting for complete scrutiny, claiming over 57,000 complaints. He said he assumes "la única responsabilidad de eventuales desaciertos" but refuses to yield to "the easy politics of unscrupulous deals, image marketing, and cheap demagoguery" Source: La Silla Vacía.
The final preliminary count gave De la Espriella 12,959,542 votes (49.66%) against Cepeda's 12,708,712 (48.7%). Turnout exceeded 63%, a record. Cristo highlighted the division, noting that "poco menos de la mitad de los colombianos escogió la opción de la vida y la paz de nuestro candidato" Source: El Colombiano. Despite Cepeda's claims, only a small fraction of complaints were formally submitted.
The Pacto Histórico announced a "new political stage," planning a national convention to define opposition strategy and prepare for 2027 local elections. Cristo called for a national accord to overcome deep divisions, echoing Cepeda's campaign theme Source: La Silla Vacía, first article. Meanwhile, Cepeda's campaign acknowledged no likely change in results, focusing on building a narrative against the incoming government.
“El senador elevó ayer a 57 mil los reclamos en el proceso pero, por cómo avanza, no se prevé una modificación sustancial sobre los resultados que dieron como ganador a Abelardo de la Espriella.”
““Los escrutinios concluyeron y sus resultados confirman el triunfo por un estrecho margen de @AbelardoPTE . Se rompieron todos los récords de participación ciudadana. Los colombianos decidieron en democracia, con libertad y tranquilidad. Felicitaciones al presidente electo por su…” – Juan Fernando Cristo”
““Los escrutinios concluyeron y sus resultados confirman el triunfo por un estrecho margen de Abelardo de la Espriella . Se rompieron todos los récords de participación ciudadana”, escribió Cristo, haciendo referencia a la participación mayor al 63 %, sin precedentes en las elecciones presidenciales.”