The Trump administration will seek to ensure that there is a free and fair election in Colombia.

In a context of great political tension in Colombia, the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, referred to the stance of the Donald Trump administration regarding the presidential runoff on June 21, where Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda will face off, and the fear of potential electoral fraud.

During an appearance before the Senate in Washington, Rubio was emphatic when discussing the Colombian electoral process: “I assure you that we will be very firm in guaranteeing free and fair elections in Colombia and we will do everything in our power to ensure that happens.”

His statements came after Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar explicitly asked whether the U.S. government was willing to impose sanctions on those involved in fraudulent maneuvers.

The Elections in Colombia

Rubio's warning comes in a scenario marked by controversy following the first round on May 31. In that instance, right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella received nearly 44% of the votes, while the communist Iván Cepeda, representative of the political space of current President Gustavo Petro, reached approximately 41%.

However, rather than accepting the preliminary result, both Cepeda and Petro himself disputed the official pre-count, alleging supposed irregularities, including a claimed discrepancy of hundreds of thousands of voters in the registry.

They even warned that they would only recognize the result of the definitive count, which raised alarms about a potential delegitimization of the electoral process.

From the opposition, De la Espriella and his allies strongly rejected these accusations, stating that questioning the electoral system without concrete evidence constitutes a direct attack on democratic institutions and on the popular will expressed at the polls.

In this context, Rubio's statements demonstrate international concern, particularly from the United States, regarding the transparency of the process and warn that there will be consequences for those who attempt to alter the electoral outcome.