Colombia elects a president between a Trump ally and the author of the "Total Peace" plan
Kyiv • UNN
Colombia is holding the second round of presidential elections between conservative Abelardo de la Espriella and left-wing senator Iván Cepeda. The candidates offer different approaches to the economy, security, and relations with the United States.
Colombia is holding the second round of presidential elections, which many experts call one of the most polarized in the country's history. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
Conservative lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and left-wing senator Ivan Cepeda are competing for the position of head of state. Three weeks ago, de la Espriella unexpectedly outperformed his opponent in the first round of voting.
The candidates offer different approaches to the economy, security, and relations with the United States. De la Espriella advocates for lower taxes, reduced government spending, expanded oil production, and a tougher fight against drug cartels. Cepeda promises to raise taxes for wealthy citizens, carry out land reform, and ban fracking.
The elections could affect relations with the United States
De la Espriella, who holds U.S. citizenship and calls himself a supporter of the Republican Party, enjoys the support of President Donald Trump. According to Bloomberg, if he wins, relations between Bogota and Washington could improve.
At the same time, Cepeda is one of the authors of the government's "Total Peace" plan, which involves negotiations with armed groups and drug cartels. His opponent promises to halt the implementation of this strategy.
These are clearly two different visions for the country's development. They have different priorities, different voters, and different allies
The election winner will have to face a budget deficit of over 6% of GDP, security problems, and record levels of cocaine production in the country.