Colombians want security 鈥� with rule of law
The country has chosen a right-wing president by a slim margin. The close win for Abelardo de la Espriella suggests a public yearning for safety and security as well as trustworthy, commonsense governance.
Election workers in Bogot谩 counted ballots during Colombia鈥檚 June 21 runoff election for president.
Juan David Duque/Reuters
This month has seen two tightly contested runoff elections in South America. The results from Peru鈥檚 poll, held more than two weeks ago, are still not official 鈥� but indicate a razor-thin margin of 35,000 to 40,000 votes for the conservative candidate. The count of Sunday鈥檚 vote in Colombia has been much quicker, showing a win for right-wing political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, by a 1% margin over his rival.
In the wake of highly polarizing campaign rhetoric, some observers might see the results as confirmation of a deep, irreconcilable divide within the electorate. But, viewed through a different lens, the results point to the virtually equal desire among citizens for safety and rule of law 鈥� as well as policies that offer pathways out of poverty and high economic inequality.
Both domestically and regionally, recent years have seen a growth in drug trafficking and organized crime, linked to transnational networks and flows of financing and armaments. In this context, election rhetoric promising a militarized approach to establishing public security has resonance, in countries from El Salvador to Ecuador to Chile.
However, as Luis Carlos Villegas, a former Colombian government official and ambassador, has pointed out, 鈥淪ecurity cannot be restored by giving an order.鈥�
It requires 鈥渢ime and knowledge, ... as well as international cooperation, which in turn derives from a political context that must be rebuilt,鈥� he wrote for the Atlantic Council recently. And, he noted, it cannot be divorced from social or economic issues that are also 鈥渉ighly urgent, complex, and costly.鈥�
That seems to be a lesson being learned by other leaders, such as Chile鈥檚 right-wing president, Jos茅 Antonio Kast, who took office in 2025. His actions have been much more measured than his campaign messages of a large-scale security crackdown, including mass arrests and deportations of unauthorized immigrants.
鈥淕overning ... means taking responsibility for reality, especially when it鈥檚 difficult,鈥� Mr. Kast said in a public address earlier this month. 鈥淚鈥檓 proceeding step by step because this isn鈥檛 something that happens overnight.鈥�
As Mr. de la Espriella himself acknowledged to Americas Quarterly earlier this year, 鈥淚t is not a matter of labels like left or right, but what common sense dictates.鈥�
Colombians are likely to appreciate both common sense and a willingness to rebuild trust in their national institutions. As one analyst told Monitor contributor Manuel Rueda a few days ago, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of mistrust in the political establishment.鈥�
鈥淐olombia is not alone in this trend,鈥� observed Juan Manuel Santos, the country鈥檚 former president who negotiated an accord with a long-running rebel insurgency in 2016. Increasingly, in political campaigns around the world, 鈥渕oderation is squeezed ... and democratic politics becomes less about solving problems than defeating enemies,鈥� he wrote in The Economist last week.
Ultimately, he noted, the new president 鈥� whose party has a minority in Congress 鈥� will be obligated to forge agreements and consensus. 鈥淎greements require trust,鈥� Mr. Santos observed. And history will remember a leader who has 鈥渢he courage, humility and greatness鈥� to rebuild such trust.