Abelardo de la Espriella's first-round lead proves Colombia is rejecting the Petro era, not embracing it. Cepeda ran an arrogant campaign aimed only at the base, skipped debates and still finished second — that's not momentum, that's a ceiling. The left misread the country badly, and now faces a brutal uphill fight heading into the runoff.
Cepeda is far more dangerous than Petro ever was — disciplined, calculating and unwilling to surrender power if he wins. The combined right-of-center vote already surpasses a majority, and every Colombian who values democracy must rally behind De la Espriella before it's too late. Freedom lost is not easily recovered, and Venezuela's tragedy is a warning Colombia cannot afford to ignore.
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