Abelardo de la Espriella
Abelardo de la Espriella | |
|---|---|
.jpg) De la Espriella in 2026 | |
| 36th President of Colombia | |
| Assumed office 7 August 2026 | |
| Vice President | José Manuel Restrepo |
| Preceded by | Gustavo Petro |
| Leader of Defenders of the Homeland | |
| Assumed office 5 August 2024 | |
| President | Mauricio Gómez Amín |
| Preceded by | Party established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Abelardo Gabriel de la Espriella Otero 31 July 1978 Bogotá, Colombia |
| Citizenship |
|
| Political party | Defenders of the Homeland (since 2024) |
| Spouse(s) |
Yoly Illidge
(m. 2001; div. 2004) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Sergio Arboleda University (LLB) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Defensores de la Patria – Political Movement |
| Nickname(s) | The Tiger |
Abelardo Gabriel de la Espriella Otero (born 31 July 1978) is a Colombian lawyer, businessman, and far-right[1] politician who has been the 36th President of Colombia since 2026. He beat Senator Iván Cepeda by less than 1% in the 2026 presidential election.[2][3][4]
Early life
[change | change source]De la Espriella was born in Bogotá. He studied law at Sergio Arboleda University. He received his degree from Del Rosario University. In 2012 he obtained a master's degree in law from Nebrija University.[5][6][7] He specializes in administrative law. He became a public figure for his defense of David Murcia during the D.M.G. Grupo Holding S.A. fraud scandal.
Presidency
[change | change source]2026 presidential campaign
[change | change source]De la Espriella was a candidate in the 2026 Colombian presidential election. De la Espriella has been widely seen as right-wing or far-right.[8][9][10] His presidential campaign was supported by Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa, who said that if De la Espriella were elected, the Ecuadorian government would remove tariffs on Colombian products.[11]
On 31 May 2026, he won 43.74% of the vote, winning a majority in the first round of voting. He advanced to the run-off, running against left-wing Senator Iván Cepeda.[12] He beat Cepeda with 49.66% of the vote to Cepeda's 48.70%.[13][14] With 12.9 million votes, De la Espriella is the presidential candidate with the most votes in the history of Colombia, followed by Cepeda who won 12.7 million votes.
Tenure
[change | change source]De la Espriella was inaugurated as the 36th President of Colombia on 7 August 2026.
Personal life
[change | change source]De la Espriella was married to Yoly Illidge from 2001 until they divorced in 2004. He then married businesswoman Ana Lucía Pineda in 2006. They have four children.
After living in Miami, Florida for over ten years, he received United States citizenship in 2023.[15]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Capdevilla, Ines (21 June 2026). "Trump-backed de la Espriella wins preliminary count in razor-tight Colombian presidential runoff". CNN. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ Cuitiva, Lina (25 October 2025). "Abelardo de la Espriella, el abogado que busca llegar a la presidencia de Colombia con propuestas como las de Milei y Bukele". Yahoo!. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ↑ Larco Bravo, Nadia (12 November 2025). "¿Quién es Abelardo de la Espriella, el Bukele colombiano que podría derrotar a Petro?". Expreso. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ↑ Soriano, Sandra (21 June 2026). "Abelardo de la Espriella, presidente electo de Colombia: siga el minuto a minuto". Noticias Caracol. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ López, María Fernanda (3 September 2025). "¿Quién es Abelardo de la Espriella? El polémico abogado que quiere ser presidente". Minuto60. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ↑ "¿Quién es Abelardo Gabriel de la Espriella, candidato a la Presidencia?". IFM Noticias. 9 October 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ↑ "Abelardo de la Espriella lanza su candidatura a las elecciones presidenciales de 2026". EFE. Portafolio. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ↑ Stacey, Diego (9 November 2025). "Colombian presidential hopeful Abelardo de la Espriella rallies thousands in Bogotá: 'The Tiger has awakened'". El País. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ↑ Turan, Bawer (15 November 2025). "Abelardo de la Espriella". Colombia Reports. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ↑ "Admirador de Trump, Milei y Bukele: así es Abelardo de la Espriella". France 24. 2026-05-26. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
- ↑ "Presidente Ecuador dispuesto a eliminar aranceles a Colombia". Deutsche Welle (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ Wells, Ione (31 May 2026). "Colombia presidential runoff pits leftist senator against pro-Trump rival". BBC. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ↑ "Resultados provisionales de la elección de Presidente y Vicepresidente de la República 2026". Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil. June 21, 2026. Archived from the original on June 21, 2026. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
- ↑ Bocanegra, Nelson; Acosta, Luis Jaime; Villegas, Alexander (21 June 2026). "Colombian right-wing candidate De La Espriella wins tight presidential race". Reuters.
- ↑ Correal, Annie (2026-06-04). "Can Abelardo De La Espriella, a U.S. Citizen, Become Colombia's President?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
Other websites
[change | change source]
- Defensores de la Patria - Political Movement
- Colombia Abelardista - Civilian Movement
- Biography by CIDOB (in Spanish)
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