Colombia presidential election: Abelardo de la Espriella leads as results are reviewed

Abelardo de la Espriella appeared to be ahead in Colombia’s presidential election on Monday. The Trump-endorsed lawyer and business owner led Ivan Cepeda by about one percentage point. The gap was around 251,000 votes with nearly all ballots counted. Officials had not yet named a winner, and a review challenge looked unlikely to alter results.

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De la Espriella ran on stronger security steps across Colombia. Plans included ending peace talks with Colombian rebel groups. De la Espriella also proposed building mega prisons like those in El Salvador. US President Donald Trump backed the bid and said De la Espriella could restore law and order. De la Espriella is nicknamed The Tiger.

Conservative presidents in Latin America: Argentina election and inflation

Argentina elected Javier Milei in November 2023 after years of high inflation. Milei, an economist and television commentator nicknamed The Lion, defeated the ruling Peronist movement. Milei promised steep spending cuts and moves against deficits. Milei stopped the central bank from printing money for government financing. Milei also reduced subsidies for public utility bills.

Milei also cut state spending by firing civil servants. Milei halted investment in public infrastructure programmes. Argentina’s inflation fell from 211 per cent in 2023 to 32 per cent in 2025. Critics blamed austerity for lower living standards. Public sector workers were among those affected, according to some accounts.

Conservative presidents in Latin America: Ecuador election and military role

Ecuador reelected Daniel Noboa to a four-year term in April 2025. Noboa won 56 per cent of the vote. Noboa comes from one of Ecuador’s wealthiest families. Noboa gave the military a bigger role in coastal security. Drug gangs have fought over ports and trafficking routes in those cities.

Authorities said the approach did not greatly cut homicide levels. Noboa’s government faced criticism over human rights abuses. Allegations included extrajudicial executions. Ecuador’s military began joint operations with the US against drug traffickers. Noboa also supported reopening a US military base. Voters struck that proposal down in a referendum last year.

Conservative presidents in Latin America: Honduras election and US pressure

Honduras elected Nasry Asfura in November after a close vote. Asfura won by less than a percentage point. Asfura is a real estate investor and a former city mayor. Asfura belongs to the National Party. The party also includes former president Juan Orlando Hernandez. Trump pardoned Hernandez for a drug trafficking conviction.

Trump endorsed Asfura and warned of aid cuts if Asfura lost. Under Asfura, Honduras accepted dozens of deportees from third countries. The transfers followed an agreement signed with the US in early 2025. Many of the deportees were Guatemalan nationals. The policy became a key part of the administration’s early actions.

Conservative presidents in Latin America: Chile election, migration and border measures

Chile elected Jose Antonio Kast in December with 58 per cent of the vote. Kast is conservative and a devout Catholic. Kast defeated a progressive government that had ruled for four years. During the campaign, Kast focused on rising crime concerns. Kast said Chile would expel migrants without residency permits.

Kast said the removals could include people from Venezuela and Haiti. After taking office, Kast expanded a trench along borders with Peru and Bolivia. The government said the goal was to limit drug trafficking and migration. Kast’s government later faced protests over unemployment. Budget cuts affecting public servants also drew criticism.

Conservative presidents in Latin America: Costa Rica election and tough-on-crime plans

Costa Rica elected Laura Fernandez in February with 48 per cent support. Fernandez had served as economy minister under former president Rodrigo Chaves. Fernandez beat the nearest rival by 15 percentage points. Fernandez also cleared the 40 per cent mark to avoid a runoff. The campaign highlighted tougher crime policies and prison expansion plans.

Fernandez proposed a state of exception for policing powers. The plan would let police arrest suspects without warrants. Fernandez also said a mega prison would be built. The design was modelled after El Salvador’s CECOT penitentiary. Fernandez’s government received US deportation flights under an earlier agreement. One June flight carried migrants from China, Vietnam, Colombia and Azerbaijan.

Across Latin America, several recent elections have brought conservative leaders to office. Colombia’s count suggested Abelardo de la Espriella was close to victory, though officials had not declared a winner. Other examples included Milei in Argentina, Noboa in Ecuador, Asfura in Honduras, Kast in Chile, and Fernandez in Costa Rica.

With inputs from PTI