Colombia right wing lawyer De La Espriella, leftist senator Cepeda set for adversarial runoff

Right-wing Colombian lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella and leftist senator Ivan Cepeda will compete in a June presidential runoff after a tight vote on Sunday, in a contest dominated by voter concerns over security and the economy to which each candidate has offered populist solutions.

The two men were close in vote tallies, with De La Espriella, who has never held elected office, notching nearly 44% support and Cepeda, a long-time senator and activist, just under 41%.

De La Espriella's personal style and policy proposals - including a tough offensive against illegal armed groups and the construction of 10 megaprisons - have drawn comparisons to El Salvador's Nayib Bukele.

"I am ready to fight the final battle, I am ready for a second round in which this miraculous homeland and its supporters will prevail," he said Sunday evening from a stage set up on a large boat pulled up on the Magdalena River in Barranquilla, where he maintains a residence. "Today we have closed the first page of history, but the definitive history we will finish writing on June 21."

The 47-year-old, his wife and four young children also have homes in Miami and Italy.

De La Espriella has proposed poverty reduction through better education, healthcare and housing for the poorest.

The lawyer says he is free from political baggage and has financed his own campaign, without receiving donations from parties or large companies. Reuters could not independently verify that claim.

LEFTIST CLOSE BEHIND

Cepeda, a 63-year-old lawmaker and son of a murdered communist leader, had led some opinion polls ahead of the first round, but surveys have suggested he will face a much tougher contest now that right-leaning voters no longer have multiple options. Centrist candidates notched single-digit support.

Both Cepeda and Petro said there were possible irregularities and that they would wait for all votes to be confirmed by judges. By late on Sunday evening nearly half of ballot box tallies had been formally reviewed.

The two candidates inveighed against one another in their comments on Sunday night, with De La Espriella referring to Cepeda as Petro's puppet, while Cepeda called his rival a "mafia fascist" and critiqued his history as a lawyer.

De La Espriella, who has legally represented controversial figures including former Venezuelan minister Alex Saab, has warned Cepeda would ensure the continuation of Petro's economic policies, including a ban on new oil projects, which have been much criticized by establishment politicians and investors.

Cepeda, who participated ​in talks that produced a 2016 peace deal between the government and former FARC ​guerrillas, has promised to pursue peace with other armed groups to end the country's six-decade internal conflict, an effort that has led to little progress under Petro.

He also plans to deepen reforms meant to reduce inequality and poverty, including by raising taxes on high earners, gifting 1 million hectares (2.47 million acres) to conflict victims and expanding income support for the elderly, poor families and young people.

"We will step up all our efforts starting tonight to gather and unite the forces needed to defeat Abelardo De La Espriella with a clear electoral verification," Cepeda told supporters.

Low turnout at Sunday's vote may give the candidates room to maneuver if they can convince more supporters to vote in the runoff on June 21. Some 58% of 41 million eligible voters cast ballots, figures from the registry office showed.

Paloma Valencia, a senator backed by former President Alvaro Uribe, had until recently been the leading right-wing candidate in the race, but she notched under 7% of votes.

She has thrown her support behind De La Espriella, as has Uribe.