Who Is Abelardo De La Espriella? Colombia Elects Right-Wing Lawyer As New President

Nationalist lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella won Colombia's presidential runoff on Sunday, completing a rapid political rise fuelled by promises to crack down on crime, revive the country's ailing economy and confront armed groups with military force rather than negotiations.

His victory marks a sharp political turn in Colombia, where concerns over security, drug trafficking and economic performance dominated the campaign. De La Espriella won over a plurality of voters with pledges to reduce the size of the state, broaden the tax base, restart oil exploration and replace peace efforts with armed groups with a tougher military response.

According to Reuters, De La Espriella defeated left-wing senator Ivan Cepeda in Sunday's runoff, winning 49.66% of the vote to Cepeda's 48.7%, based on the national registrar's preliminary tally. The 47-year-old had emerged as the leading candidate in the first round in late May with 43.7% of the vote after gaining popularity earlier in the year through a tough-on-crime message.

Nicknamed “The Tiger” by his supporters, De La Espriella portrayed himself as an anti-establishment saviour capable of reviving Colombia's ailing economy and restoring order in a country troubled by illegal armed groups and drug trafficking. He has blamed outgoing President Gustavo Petro for the country's economic and security problems.

Reuters reported that De La Espriella plans to reduce the size of the state by 40%, broaden the tax base and end peace efforts with armed groups in favour of a hardened military response. He has also pledged to restart oil exploration and allow fracking in a bid to nearly double production to 1.3 million barrels per day.

De La Espriella says he financed his campaign himself and that his “Defenders of the Homeland” movement grew without support from political parties or business groups. Reuters reported that it could not independently verify those claims.

Alongside his legal career, De La Espriella has built a sprawling business empire that includes wine, rum, clothing and real estate interests. Investigative journalism outlet La Silla Vacia reported that many of his businesses have been dissolved, are carrying debt or lost money overall in 2024, while his law firm remained his most profitable venture.

The outlet said De La Espriella's campaign declined to answer questions about his businesses. It later challenged La Silla Vacia's funding in a public letter, while the publication rejected allegations of bias.

Throughout the campaign, De La Espriella regularly used a military salute despite never having served in the armed forces.

Often seen wearing luxury watches and designer sunglasses and sporting a well-groomed beard, he has drawn comparisons with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who calls himself the “world's coolest dictator”.

Bukele's heavy-handed security policies and use of mega-prisons have helped reduce crime rates in El Salvador to among the lowest in Central America, while drawing criticism from human rights groups. More than 90,000 people have been detained under those measures.

De La Espriella denies he is imitating Bukele, but he has proposed building 10 mega-prisons in Colombia.

He has also faced criticism for representing Alex Saab, who faces charges in the United States of laundering money for ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He has additionally represented individuals linked to corruption scandals, financial embezzlement and right-wing paramilitary groups. De La Espriella says his professional relationships as a lawyer do not involve any complicity in criminal activity.

A married father of four, De La Espriella grew up in the Caribbean city of Monteria and is known as a singer of vallenato, the region's traditional folk music. Reuters also reported that he holds citizenship of Colombia, the United States and Italy and is due to assume the presidency on August 7.

(With inputs from Reuters)