The Guardian view on Colombia’s election: Trumpism has gone transnational | Editorial

A warning from Latin America about US money, platforms, data and paranoid politics should not be dismissed lightly

When Colombia’s leftwing presidential candidate, Iván Cepeda, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/24/colombia-presidential-election-abelardo-de-la-espriella">conceded defeat last week, he did so with notable grace.

His ally, the outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, was much less composed.

In a series of social media posts, Mr Petro https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2069587727146791421">argued that Donald Trump had interfered in the contest that brought the far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella to power.

The claim should not be taken as proof of a stolen election.

But nor should it be dismissed as paranoia.

Mr Trump did publicly https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clye4ky2yzpo">endorse Mr de la Espriella.

His razor-thin win was in contrast to the scale of his alarmingly rightwing https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombia-presidential-candidates-have-rival-visions-fiscal-reality-looms-both-2026-06-16/">programme.

He promises mega-prisons, a https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombia-presidential-vote-centers-security-after-armed-groups-expand-2026-06-18/">war on rebels, a https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-06-24/the-far-right-promises-de-la-espriella-borrows-from-milei-bukele-bolsonaro-uribe-and-trump.html">shrunken state, renewed oil exploration, fracking and corporate tax cuts.

This won’t be easy.

Mr Petro’s Pacto Histórico is the largest party in the country’s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Colombian_parliamentary_election">congress.

Unsurprisingly, Mr de la Espriella wants to govern through executive decree coupled with militarised state power.

He aims to “https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/22/election-far-right-leader-fears-democracy-colombia-espriella-trump">disembowel” the left.