Overview
- Colombians will decide the presidency in a June 21 runoff between Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda after de la Espriella topped the May 31 first round by a narrow margin.
- President Trump posted a public endorsement of de la Espriella, which Petro called interference and said signals Washington is siding with forces he labels narco‑paramilitary.
- The campaign has sharpened a dispute over drug policy: Petro defends his shift away from forced coca eradication that fell from roughly 130,000 hectares in 2022 to about 9,000, while critics link that change to rising cultivation and underfunded substitution programs.
- Reporting has raised questions about recent U.S. counterdrug tactics, including maritime strikes blamed for civilian deaths and a DEA assessment that mentions Venezuela only a few times, details used to contest U.S. narratives on regional threats.
- Analysts and rights groups warn the endorsement and hard‑line security rhetoric could increase political violence, make Paloma Valencia’s supporters decisive in the runoff, and shape whether Colombia restores aerial fumigation and more militarized operations.