Cepeda llama a vencer a “ultraderecha” y defender reformas sociales

(June 17, 2026) ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVE Bogotá, Colombia – June 13, 2026 Colombian presidential candidate Iván Cepeda has called on his supporters to back him in defeating the “far right” at the polls and thus defend social reforms. After obtaining 40.91% of the votes during the first round, Cepeda, of the ruling Historical Pact movement, became a finalist in the June 21 runoff election, along with Abelardo De la Espriella, of Defenders of the Homeland, who led with 43.73%, according to results from the National Electoral Council. Cepeda, the political heir of Gustavo Petro, assures that he will continue “building the great historical transformations” that he believes the current government has achieved. Cepeda mentioned the agrarian program promoted by the current government, the defense of the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples and nationalities, the peace policy amidst the internal armed conflict, as well as other social reforms. FILE: Bogotá, Colombia – June 11, 2026 Last week, Cepeda announced that he will file criminal complaints with the Colombian Attorney General's Office and the International Criminal Court against De La Espriella for his alleged links to paramilitary groups. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) of Iván Cepeda, presidential candidate: “We are filing a criminal complaint against lawyer De la Espriella with the Attorney General's Office and the International Criminal Court for allegedly committing a series of crimes.” ASSOCIATED PRESS: FILE: Bogotá, Colombia – June 4, 2026 De la Espriella responded on social media that Cepeda's complaint is a "smokescreen" to cover up another complaint he filed in the United States regarding what he called "Cepeda's alliance with the criminals who orchestrated atypical voting patterns in Cauca, Chocó, and Nariño," suggesting that illegal armed groups pressured voters in those Colombian departments. STORYLINE: ============================================================ Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their license agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...