Madras Times - Trump acolyte, leftist icon: Who will be Colombia's next leader?

'The Tiger' -

Abelardo de la Espriella, 47, is a millionaire lawyer and businessman who said he entered politics to prevent Colombia from being "destroyed" by the left.

He holds US President Donald Trump, Argentina's Javier Milei and El Salvador's Nayib Bukele in high esteem.

Sporting impeccable suits and, more recently, a bulletproof vest, his legal career saw him defend prominent Colombian figures including drug traffickers and soccer stars.

Before launching his presidential bid, De la Espriella lived in Florence, Italy, where he dabbled in opera, jetted around in private planes and promoted his rum and wine businesses.

To combat drug cartels in Colombia, the world's biggest cocaine producer, De la Espriella proposes a military alliance with the United States and Israel and the construction of mega-prisons, while also defending the right to carry weapons.

"Any criminal who does not surrender will be taken down as the law allows," he told AFP in an interview in February.

Branding himself "The Tiger," the candidate has a penchant for swearing and is known for his hot temper.

He called for the Colombian left to be "gutted," but later toned down his language.

He has also made remarks considered homophobic and sexist and frequently refers to his "balls."

- Survivor -

Ivan Cepeda first appeared in public in 1994, in his early 30s, next to the corpse of his father, a communist senator who was assassinated by paramilitaries.

Standing in front of a bullet-riddled truck, his call for justice was televised.

"Let this crime not go unpunished," Cepeda told reporters in a measured tone, during a period of persecution that saw more than 5,700 leftist leaders killed.

The 63-year-old has previously lived in exile in the former Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Cuba and France.

Returning to Colombia, he advocated for armed conflict victims and played a key role in the historic 2016 peace accord, which led to the disarmament of the rebel army FARC -- formerly the country's largest armed group.

His adversaries accuse him of having ties to FARC and reproach him for having devised outgoing President Gustavo Petro's "total peace" plan.

"I have survived genocide, stigmatization and relentless persecution. And here I am, still standing," he said during the campaign.

Typically wearing a traditional Caribbean shirt, Cepeda forgoes a tie, which he considers a symbol of oligarchy.

The senator led the investigation into former president Uribe's ties with paramilitaries before it went to court, where Uribe became the first Colombian leader to be convicted of a crime last year.

Although a judge later overturned the ruling, the incident established Cepeda as the right-wing leader's main political enemy and an icon of the left.

A.Sengupta--MT