Key facts
- An EU observer mission found Colombia's presidential vote count to be transparent and efficient.
- Conservative candidate Abelardo de la Espriella is leading the election by 1 percentage point.
- President Gustavo Petro has questioned the election results and alleged fraud.
- The EU mission chief stated no irregularities were observed during the counting process.
- The progressive candidate's campaign plans to challenge results from over 30,000 voting stations.
A European Union observer mission has affirmed the transparency and efficiency of Colombia's presidential vote count, despite President Gustavo Petro's challenges to the results. Petro has repeatedly questioned the outcome after his preferred successor, progressive candidate Iván Cepeda, did not win the runoff election.
The EU mission, which deployed about 150 observers for Sunday's runoff and also observed the first round in May, stated that it had not observed any irregularities and that Colombian legislation had been followed. Conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella is leading the election by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes, with almost all votes counted.
Cepeda's campaign announced it would challenge the results from more than 30,000 voting stations and would not recognize the outcome until a recount is completed, which electoral authorities are expected to finish this week. Petro had also claimed fraud after Cepeda failed to win the first-round election outright. The EU mission chief noted that it was unusual for the sitting president, who is not a candidate, to be denouncing irregularities.
More than 26 million people voted in the runoff, a historic record. The election was marked by fears of renewed internal conflict, with both candidates presenting different strategies to prevent a return to the violence experienced in previous decades. The winner will begin a four-year term on August 7.