Far-right outsider ​Abelardo De La Espriella received 43.7% of the votes in Colombia's first-round presidential election on May 31, while leftist Sen. Ivan Cepeda received 40.9%, El Tiempo reported the same day. Cepeda and his ally President Gustavo Petro said they would wait for judges to formally review the results before accepting them.

Espriella came in first place even though all polls showed Cepeda leading for months. The results come amid broad popular discontent with Petro's security policies amid the expansion of guerrilla groups and the collapse of his Total Peace strategy, even though populist economic policies have boosted his popularity and given Cepeda momentum in recent months. Center-right candidate Paloma Valencia won 6.9% of the vote. She and her mentor, former President Alvaro Uribe, have expressed support for Espriella.