Trump-backed de la Espriella leads Colombia runoff count (opens in new tab)

Conservative political newcomer Abelardo de la Espriella claimed victory in Colombia’s June 21 presidential runoff after preliminary results showed him narrowly ahead of left-wing Senator Iván Cepeda. With nearly all ballots counted, de la Espriella had about 49.66% of the vote to Cepeda’s 48.70%, a margin of roughly 250,000 votes; election officials had not formally certified a winner, and a slower official count was expected in the coming days. Cepeda said the preliminary count was “not yet...