Colombia’s leftist presidential candidate Iván Cepeda has called for calm amid post-election unrest following the apparent victory of his hard-right opponent, Abelardo de la Espriella. The tense atmosphere comes as the country awaits the final vote tally expected to be released tomorrow.

With nearly all ballots counted, de la Espriella leads with 49.66% of the vote, narrowly ahead of Cepeda’s 48.70%. The margin separating the two candidates is approximately 250,000 votes. Though Cepeda has not formally conceded, he has urged that the initial results be thoroughly verified before drawing conclusions.

Violence erupted in several major cities overnight. In Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, protesters clashed with riot police, setting American flags on fire and wielding steel bars. Security forces responded with tear gas to disperse the crowds. Bogotá also experienced unrest, where demonstrators burned tires and threw bricks at law enforcement.

Cepeda denounced the violent actions by some protesters and emphasized that he had not endorsed such behavior. He urged his supporters to maintain “tranquility and peaceful mobilisation,” appealing for “composure and calm” in the face of the contested election outcome.

At the same time, Cepeda cautioned his rival against exacerbating tensions, stressing that his political movement represents “half the country in political terms.” He highlighted the long history of resistance within his base, asserting their resilience against authoritarianism and political violence. “We have defeated many authoritarian governments, many violent politicians, so no, don’t come threatening us,” he stated.

The election campaign has been deeply polarizing, with strong divisions reflected in the narrow vote margin and the protests that followed. Authorities are bracing for further demonstrations as they finalize results, while political leaders call for restraint to prevent further escalation.