On June 21, foreign media outlets, including The Guardian, reported that with 99.65% of votes counted in Colombia's presidential runoff, candidate Rodolfo Esprilla of the "Guardians of the Fatherland" party secured 12.91 million votes, or 49.65% of the total, confirming his victory. His opponent, candidate Cesar Cepeda from the "Historical Alliance," received 12.67 million votes, or 48.7%, losing by a margin of 248,310 votes.
Esprilla, a criminal defense attorney and political newcomer with no prior public office experience, campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform, referring to himself as a "tiger." His proposals included building a large prison for drug traffickers and scrapping peace negotiations with illegal armed groups, directly opposing the approach taken by President Gustavo Petro, who has pursued negotiations with guerrilla and armed organizations.
Trump publicly endorsed Esprilla during the election, calling him a "smart, strong, and determined leader" while labeling Cepeda a "radical leftist Marxist." Trump also claimed that if Esprilla won, U.S. support would strengthen relations between Colombia and the United States.
The election results are seen as part of a broader rightward shift across Latin America. The Washington Post noted that right-wing candidates backed by Trump are gaining traction in Colombia, following similar trends in Argentina and Honduras, marking a sharp turn from the historic victories of leftist candidates four years ago.
Recent elections in Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Chile have also seen right-wing candidates emerge victorious. Expanding the timeline around the onset of Trump's second term, conservative victories have been noted in Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Honduras, highlighting a clear regional shift to the right.
This trend may continue in Peru, where, with 99.69% of votes counted in the runoff, conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori leads with 9,188,410 votes, or 50.111%, ahead of leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez by 43,700 votes. If confirmed, this would mark Fujimori's victory after three previous attempts.
In contrast, tensions are rising in Europe over Trump's confrontational diplomatic style. Recently, Trump claimed that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeatedly asked to take a photo with him during the G7 summit. Meloni refuted this, calling it "completely fabricated," leading to a public spat.
This controversy has agitated Italian officials, resulting in Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani canceling a planned visit to the U.S. Trump alleged that Meloni sought the photo to boost her declining domestic approval ratings, while Meloni retorted that Trump should focus on his own ratings.
Trump has also expressed dissatisfaction with European allies for not supporting U.S. military operations in the recent Iran conflict. His relationship with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has maintained a relatively close rapport with Trump, is also becoming strained. Trump recently posted on Truth Social that Starmer would resign as Prime Minister, citing significant failures on immigration and energy issues. He added, "Open up the North Sea oil," and wished him luck in his future endeavors.
Meanwhile, a historical dispute over the recognition of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Volhynia massacre is escalating between Ukraine and Poland, two key U.S. allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to return the White Eagle Medal, Poland's highest honor awarded in 2023, following Poland's decision to revoke it. Other current and former high-ranking Ukrainian officials have also joined in returning the medal.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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