From a media-savvy and controversial lawyer, known on social networks, today Abelardo de la Espriella has real chances of winning the elections in Colombia and becoming the next president. Especially after his surprising victory in the first presidential round this Sunday, where he surpassed the favorite candidate, the leftist Iván Cepeda.
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His slogan, his proposals, and his style seek only one thing: to impose authority. Face of a radical right, gathered in his movement Defensores de la Patria, the lawyer is known as “the Tiger,” and has known how to take advantage of the frustration against traditional parties, using a more “spectacular” and aggressive style.
In international politics, De la Espriella has shown his sympathy for the right-wing leaders of the region, and aligns with Javier Milei, Donald Trump, and Nayib Bukele. In the campaign, he has praised the Salvadoran prison system, and intends to promote similar mega-prisons.
At 47 years old, De la Espriella has the charisma and a spectacularity that contrasts with the calm of his first-round opponents. Additionally, he likes to give categorical and provocative statements. Trying to project himself as a successful businessman, he is portrayed as a lover of “high culture” and good taste.
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He became known for carrying out legal actions against journalists. In various interviews, he declares himself “the greatest enemy” of communism. At the end of 2025, he launched his movement, Defensores de la Patria when polls began to position him as the most popular opposition.
During the campaign, De la Espriella said he was open to adding support from all political sectors except petrismo. The lawyer stated that he was inspired “by the alert that the electoral fraud in Venezuela on July 29, 2024, represented” and that he seeks to avoid the “risk of a government that threatens our fundamental freedoms or tries to perpetuate itself in power.”
He has never held a public office nor managed state contracts: he presents this absence of connections with the establishment as proof that he is “the true outsider” in the race. Furthermore, he claims not to have major financial sponsors, and says he is a self-made businessman and, therefore, has no obligations to the elite.
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