The Daily Journal — Colombian right-wing candidate Abelardo De la Espriella secured a decisive victory among Colombian citizens living in Venezuela during the first round of Colombia’s presidential election held on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
Official overseas voting data showed a clear advantage for De la Espriella. In Venezuela, he outpaced his left-wing rival Iván Cepeda by more than 46 percentage points.
The result in Venezuela stood out as one of the most notable outcomes of the international voting process, especially given the country’s long-standing governance by left-leaning political forces.
Vote counts from Colombian consulates in Venezuela showed strong support for De la Espriella, who received 14,313 votes (66.26%), while Cepeda received 4,352 votes (20.14%).
This margin in Venezuela exceeded the global trend observed inside Colombia, where both candidates competed closely to succeed Gustavo Petro. Nationally, De la Espriella led with 43.74% of the vote, while Cepeda followed with 40.90%, sending both to a runoff for the presidency.
Voting patterns across the world
De la Espriella’s strong performance in Venezuela matched trends across several major Colombian diaspora voting hubs in the Americas.
In the United States, he recorded his largest overseas support, earning 155,816 votes (72.16%) compared to Cepeda’s 32,324 votes (14.97%). He also led in Panama (64.93%), Ecuador (54.56%), Canada (50.25%), and Mexico (49.67%).
Cepeda, however, balanced the international picture with strong results in Europe and parts of South America. He won Spain with 54,162 votes (42.57%), along with France (46.98%), Argentina (43.44%), Brazil (45.56%), and achieved a dominant result in Cuba with 74.09% of the vote.
With information from El Colombiano.
