Latin America Advisor 2026-06-01 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

June 2, 2026

Which Candidate Is Best Positioned for Colombia’s Runoff?

Right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella was the top vote-getter in the first round of Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday. // File Photo: defensoresdelapatria.com via Wikimedia Commons CC0 1.0.

Q

Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella emerged as the top vote-getter in the first round of Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday. De la Espriella garnered 43.74 percent of the vote, topping leftist Iván Cepeda, who received 40.9 percent. The two candidates will now face off in a second round on June 21. What drove support for De la Espriella, who had narrowly been trailing Cepeda in polls leading up to the vote? What factors between now and the runoff will decide the result? What would be the main differences in a government headed by De la Espriella versus one headed by Cepeda?

A

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The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.

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Diego Arria
Director,
Columbus Group

Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

Marlene Fernández
Corporate Vice President for Gov’t Relations,
Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s)

Peter Hakim
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Donna Hrinak
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Adtalem Global Education

Jon E. Huenemann
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GLG Inc.

James R. Jones
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Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
Georgetown University

John Maisto
Director,
US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

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