Abelardo de la Espriella
Colombian lawyer and businessman (born 1978)
Photo: Olímpica Stereo, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- 10h ago
Costa Rica opens 5,100-place mega-prison modelled on Bukele's El Salvador facility
President Laura Fernández inaugurated the CACCO on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, with first inmate transfers due at the end of October. The prison sits in the La Reforma complex outside San José and is modelled on El Salvador's CECOT.
- 14h ago
Colombia's De la Espriella signs protest decree letting police act without waiting for dialogue
President Abelardo de la Espriella signed Decree 1525 of 2026 on Tuesday, 13 October, changing how security forces respond to demonstrations. The government said it would apply the rules at anti-government marches called for Wednesday, 14 October.
- 20h ago
Colombia opens embassy in Jerusalem, drawing Saudi and Palestinian condemnation
Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, becoming the tenth embassy in the city. Israel welcomed the move, while Saudi Arabia called it a violation of international law.
- yesterday
Global deforestation fell 15% in 2025 to 7 million hectares, but the Congo Basin is worsening
Global forest loss fell 15% in 2025 to 7 million hectares, according to the Forest Declaration Assessment published on Wednesday, 14 October 2026. The Congo Basin, however, lost 2.4 million hectares, nearly matching tropical Latin America for the first time.
- Sep 24
Costa Rica President Laura Fernández dismisses foreign minister over undisclosed Trump security summit
Costa Rican President Laura Fernández dismissed Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar after he attended a US-led security summit in New York without informing her, preventing her from participating in the gathering.
- Sep 24
Colombia deploys 1,100 troops to Santa Marta after armed strike closes city
President Abelardo De La Espriella deployed 1,100 soldiers and police officers to Santa Marta after the Sierra Nevada armed group enforced a 48-hour commercial shutdown following the killing of its second-in-command.
- Aug 16
Colombia earthquake survivor Daniela Largo dies in hospital; death toll reaches 294
Daniela Largo, 32, who was pulled alive from rubble in Pereira after nearly 37 hours, died in hospital on Friday evening, as the 7.4-magnitude earthquake's death toll reached at least 294 with some 320 still missing.
- Aug 1
Truck bomb wounds 11 in Colombia's Cucutá six days before far-right president-elect takes office
A truck loaded with explosives detonated outside a police station in the Colombian border city of Cucutá on Saturday, wounding at least 11 people just six days before the inauguration of far-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella.
- Jul 27
Colombia’s president-elect to close 14 embassies, break ties with Cuba and Nicaragua in first diplomatic overhaul
Colombian president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella announced the closure of 14 embassies and 15 consulates worldwide and the break of diplomatic relations with Cuba and Nicaragua. The measures will take effect after his 7 August inauguration, as part of a broader “optimization” of the country’s diplomatic network.
- Jun 21
Right-wing hardliner Abelardo de la Espriella wins Colombian presidency, preliminary results show
Abelardo de la Espriella, a Trump-backed businessman who calls himself 'The Tiger', has won Colombia's presidential runoff with a narrow margin over leftist senator Iván Cepeda, according to preliminary results from Sunday's vote.
- Jun 21
De la Espriella's Bukele model vs Cepeda's peace legacy as Colombia votes for president
Far-right Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist Iván Cepeda face off in a contest shaped by security fears, economic stagnation and US interference.
- Jun 16
Colombia braces for polarized presidential runoff with De la Espriella holding 7.7-point lead
Abelardo de la Espriella holds a 7.7-point advantage over Iván Cepeda ahead of Sunday's presidential runoff, which follows a first round marked by record turnout and a bitter, judicialized campaign.
- Jun 1
Colombia's far-right outsider De la Espriella stuns with first-round win, triggering fraud claims and a polarized runoff
Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right political newcomer, won Colombia's presidential first round with 43.7% of the vote, setting up a tense June 21 runoff against leftist Iván Cepeda amid unsubstantiated fraud allegations from President Gustavo Petro.
- Jun 1
Colombia's Presidential Runoff Set for June 21 as Far-Right De la Espriella Stuns Leftist Cepeda in Polarized First Round
Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right outsider, won Colombia's first-round presidential vote with a historic 43.7%, setting up a deeply polarized June 21 runoff against leftist Iván Cepeda, who trailed at 40.9%.
- Jun 1
Colombia presidential election heads to runoff as outsider de la Espriella edges leftist Cepeda
Right-wing outsider Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist senator Iván Cepeda will face off in a June 21 runoff after neither secured a majority in Colombia's presidential election on Sunday.
- May 31
Colombia presidential election heads to runoff between hard-right 'Tiger' de la Espriella and leftist Cepeda
Hard-right populist Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist senator Ivan Cepeda will face off in Colombia's June 21 presidential runoff after a polarizing first round that saw de la Espriella outperform expectations.
- May 31
Colombia presidential election heads to runoff as far-right De la Espriella stuns leftist Cepeda in first round
Far-right millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella won the first round of Colombia's presidential election, edging out leftist senator Iván Cepeda and setting up a high-stakes runoff on June 21 that will decide the successor to President Gustavo Petro.
- May 31
Colombia Votes in Polarized Presidential Election: Leftist Cepeda Leads, Runoff Expected
Colombians head to the polls Sunday in a deeply polarized presidential election, with leftist Iván Cepeda holding a clear polling lead but falling short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff, making a June 21 second round between the top two finishers almost certain.
