Colombia’s runoff pits leftist Cepeda against hardline anti-crime candidate de la Espriella

Colombia heads to a presidential runoff between leftist Ivan Cepeda and far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella after a first round where Cepeda trailed de la Espriella despite polls showing him as frontrunner. Cepeda vows to continue Petro’s dialogue with armed groups, while de la Espriella promises a hard-line crackdown with 10 mega-prisons and has earned the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump. The race comes amid persistent violence, rising homicides and extortion a decade after the FARC peace deal, with more than 41 million voters eligible.