Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, who received backing from US President Donald Trump, appeared headed for a razor-thin victory in Colombia's presidential election on Sunday, according to preliminary results.
With 99.9% of ballots counted, de la Espriella had won about 49.6% of the vote in the run-off, compared with 48.7% for his leftist rival Iván Cepeda, election authorities said. The margin between the two candidates was about 250,000 votes.
De la Espriella spoke of the "great responsibility" awaiting him in office, while Cepeda declined to concede and said he would only recognize the result after an official review of all voting records had been completed.
Cepeda's campaign said results from about 33,000 ballot boxes would be challenged.
Outgoing President Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist leader, also urged caution over declaring a winner given the narrow margin. Petro, who belongs to the same political alliance as Cepeda, was barred from seeking re-election because of term limits.
Preliminary election results in Colombia, South America's second-most populous country with around 53 million inhabitants, have historically differed only marginally from final certified results.
De la Espriella, who brands himself publicly as "El Tigre" (The Tiger), received support during the campaign from Trump. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated him after the preliminary results were released. The conservative candidate has pledged to strengthen ties with Washington and expand cooperation in combating drug trafficking.
US-Colombia ties strained under Petro presidency
Colombia was long considered Washington's closest ally in South America, but relations cooled under Petro. Last year, the Trump administration designated Colombia as failing to meet its international commitments in the fight against illegal drugs and imposed sanctions on Petro's government, arguing it had not acted decisively enough against drug trafficking.
Security emerged as a central issue in the election campaign in a country that endured decades of conflict involving leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitary groups and government forces.
Critics accused Petro of failing to significantly improve security despite negotiations with armed groups, including the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla movement. The campaign was marked by violence, with attacks and clashes between security forces and armed groups reported in several regions.
Running for the conservative Defence of the Homeland (Defensores de la Patria) movement, de la Espriella pledged a tougher approach toward guerrilla groups, drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks.
Cepeda, representing the left-wing Historic Pact (Pacto Historico) alliance, campaigned on continuing Petro's policies. Supporters of the governing alliance pointed to expanded social assistance programmes and lower poverty levels during Petro's presidency.
Authorities said the vote was conducted largely peacefully. More than 408,000 members of the military and police were deployed nationwide. Around 41 million Colombians were eligible to vote.
