Far right gains strength in Colombia with Abelardo de la Espriella, fan of Trump, Milei and Bukele

Abelardo de la Espriella
REUTERS/Nathalia Angarita
The profile of Abelardo de la Espriella, who is in second place in polls of voting intentions for the presidential elections taking place this Sunday (31) in Colombia, follows the pattern of far-right candidates: outsider, with no political experience, anti-system, eccentric and self-proclaimed savior of the country.
The ultra-rightist candidate is clearly identified with models applied in the continent by Donald Trump, Javier Milei and Nayib Bukele. He vigorously carries the flag of his independent Defenders of the Fatherland movement, based on security, patriotism and a style of governance that is more corporate than political.
The proposals are repeated. He promises to build ten maximum security mega-prisons to reduce the number of homicides, as did the president of El Salvador, whom he even physically resembles.
Preaches radical solutions in a simple way: eradicate narco-terrorism and the left; reduce the size of the State by 40%, as well as taxes for companies; Cocaine fields will be pulverized and 330,000 hectares of illicit plantations will disappear.
The candidate assures that, if elected, in his first days in office he will sign 90 decrees, making extensive use of the Executive Power to implement his program, called "Miracle Country".
With these credentials embedded in a radical message of change, De La Espriella rose and won over voters disenchanted with moderate parties, in a polarized and violent country. He has a good chance of entering the second round, according to the polls.
Colombia is experiencing a wave of violence 1 month before presidential elections
The ultra-rightist will face Iván Cepeda, candidate of the current president, Gustavo Petro, and Paloma Valencia, supported by former president Alvaro Uribe.
Second round simulations point to him as the favorite to assume the Presidency.
The aggressive rhetoric is characteristic of the 47-year-old criminal lawyer and businessman, who likes to be called "The Tiger", wears designer clothes and displays the impeccable appearance of a dandy.
Before embarking on the Colombian campaign, he lived between Miami and Tuscany, in Italy. Multifaceted, he recorded two music albums, published five books and participated in TV series.
As a lawyer, he defended controversial clients, such as David Murcia, responsible for a pyramid scheme that ruined thousands of Colombians, and Alex Saab, appointed as Nicolás Maduro's front man and who is imprisoned in the USA.
De La Espriella boasts a macho reputation, without measuring the consequences in a country where women represent more than half of the electorate. He was involved in a grotesque and disrespectful incident, when he participated in a podcast, with three men and women, in which he boasted about the size of his penis, which, according to him, had guaranteed him support from part of the female electorate.
Initial plugin text
At one point, the candidate showed a photo on his cell phone and asked the journalist to zoom in on a suggestive image of his crotch.
"What do you see here, honey? Zoom in and tell me what you see there," he insisted.
The episode had a bad impact, and the candidate was forced to apologize on social media.
"It was a total lack of respect, I felt violated, harassed and furious", reacted journalist Laura Rodríguez, from the Piso 8 radio program.
The question is whether the gesture will have a negative impact on De La Espriella at the polls.

Source: G1