Ivan Cepeda joined President Gustavo Petro on Sunday night in rejecting the preliminary results of the first round of Colombia’s presidential election and demanded a thorough review of the electoral process before accepting the outcome that declared right-wing populist candidate Abelardo De la Espriella the winner of the day.
The left-wing candidate’s reaction came just hours after the official preliminary count placed him in second place and confirmed that the two will face off in a runoff election scheduled for June 21.
Far from taking a conciliatory stance after the defeat, Cepeda backed Petro’s allegations of alleged irregularities in the process and argued that there are inconsistencies that must be clarified by the electoral authorities.
According to the Pacto Histórico candidate, the country cannot consider the preliminary results definitive while doubts remain regarding the number of registered voters and the discrepancy detected in the electoral roll.
Related: Colombia’s De la Espriella Calls Opponent Cepeda and President Petro ‘bandits’.
Cepeda joins Petro in rejecting Colombia’s presidential election results
Ivan Cepeda’s first statements focused on defending the argument put forward by President Petro regarding an alleged discrepancy of more than 800,000 records in the electoral roll. Both the president and the ruling party candidate stated that the situation must be investigated before the results of the election day are politically validated.
Cepeda said he will not accept definitive conclusions based solely on the preliminary count released by the National Registry Office and argued that the official tally, conducted by judges and electoral authorities, will determine the legally valid outcome of the election. In that regard, he insisted that each of the reported inconsistencies must be verified before the process is closed.
The left-wing candidate also alleged the existence of unusual voting patterns in some regions of the country and stated that electoral agencies must provide clear explanations regarding the differences detected between official records and the data used during election day. Although he did not present additional evidence regarding the alleged irregularities, he reiterated that his campaign will remain vigilant throughout the official counting process.
The statements triggered an immediate reaction from political sectors that defended the transparency of the election and recalled that the preliminary count is informational in nature, while the final results correspond to the official tally. Even so, Cepeda maintained his position and said he will continue demanding a detailed review of the data before fully recognizing the result announced on election night.
Esperamos con atención el resultado de las comisiones escrutadoras.
Desde esta misma noche, trabajaremos para congregar las fuerzas necesarias para derrotar a Abelardo de la Espriella. @IvanCepedaCast pic.twitter.com/FKBsRs1qcS
— María José Pizarro Rodríguez (@PizarroMariaJo) June 1, 2026
A call for mobilization ahead of the runoff
Despite his criticism of the electoral process, Cepeda made clear that his campaign will remain focused on the race for the presidency and called on his supporters to prepare for a runoff that he described as decisive for the country’s future. The senator argued that the margin recorded in the first round does not represent a definitive defeat and stated that there is significant room to build a majority in the next election.
In his remarks, the ruling party candidate called on progressive forces, social organizations, and independent sectors to build a broad coalition capable of defeating Abelardo De la Espriella in the runoff. According to Cepeda, the June 21 election will represent a confrontation between two completely opposing visions for the country.
Cepeda insisted that voters who supported centrist and left-wing options during the first round must now decide between the continuation of the reforms promoted by Gustavo Petro’s government or the return of policies that, in his view, represent a setback in social and democratic matters.
Related: Cepeda Calls for Debate with De la Espriella After First-Round Defeat in Colombia.
Strong criticism of Abelardo De la Espriella
The harshest tone of his speech was directed at Abelardo De la Espriella, who became the biggest surprise of the day by prevailing against most electoral forecasts and finishing in first place in the nationwide vote.
Cepeda argued that his opponent represents a political proposal based on confrontation and questioned several of the positions the right-wing leader has defended throughout the campaign. The left-wing candidate warned that a De la Espriella victory would put some of the changes promoted during the current administration at risk and stated that Colombia faces a choice between deepening reforms or shifting toward tough-on-crime policies.
The criticism came after the preliminary count showed De la Espriella with approximately 43.7% of the vote compared to the 40.9% obtained by Cepeda, a margin that made the lawyer and conservative leader the winner of the first round. The result also confirmed the highly polarized scenario that has defined the presidential campaign and that will now carry over into a runoff election that promises to be one of the most closely contested in recent years.
With the official tally about to begin and the campaigns already focused on the decisive phase of the contest, Cepeda’s statements foreshadow a runoff marked by political confrontation, questions about the electoral process, and the battle to win over the millions of voters who did not support either of the two finalists in the first round.