Colombia Becomes The Latest To Swing Right: How Latin America’s Political Map Is Changing

Last Updated:June 24, 2026, 10:21 IST

Colombia has become the latest Latin American country to turn right, joining Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama in a widening conservative shift.

Only a few years ago, Latin America appeared to be turning decisively left. Colombia in 2022 had elected its first left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, while progressive governments also came to power in countries including Chile and Brazil.

That political wave is now receding.

In Colombia, Trump-admiring far-right lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella appears to have won the 2026 presidential election by a razor-thin margin, defeating left-wing senator Iván Cepeda.

With 99.99% of ballots counted in the preliminary tally, De La Espriella had secured 12.96 million votes, or 49.66%, against Cepeda’s 12.7 million, or 48.7%. The gap stood at just 250,830 votes, while another 1.6% of ballots were cast blank.

Colombian authorities have not yet formally declared a winner, and the result must still undergo a final verification process overseen by notaries and judges. However, the review is not widely expected to overturn the result.

De La Espriella’s apparent victory would place Colombia alongside Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama, which have all moved towards conservative or right-leaning leadership in recent years.

Peru may be next. Conservative Keiko Fujimori is projected to win the June 7 presidential runoff by just over 0.2%, although authorities are still counting contested ballots.

The shift marks a stark reversal of the so-called “pink tide", the term used for the rise of left-wing governments across Latin America in the early 2020s.

What is driving the change is not one single issue. Across the region, voters have become increasingly concerned about crime, weak economic growth, inflation, migration and governments seen as unable to improve daily life.

Why Colombia Voted For De La Espriella

De La Espriella, a millionaire lawyer, business owner and political outsider nicknamed “The Tiger", campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform.

He has promised to cancel peace talks with Colombian rebel groups, intensify action against drug traffickers and build mega-prisons similar to those constructed in El Salvador.

He has also pledged to lower taxes, ease business regulations and restart oil and gas projects halted under Petro.

These promises gained support in a country where drug trafficking, illegal mining and the weak presence of the state in some areas remain major challenges.

His election could also change Colombia’s approach to its decades-long armed conflict. Petro had pursued negotiations with rebel groups, while De La Espriella has promised a more confrontational strategy.

His rise also reflects the increasingly important role of US President Donald Trump in Latin American politics.

De La Espriella is a naturalised US citizen who previously lived in Miami and has openly supported Trump. The US president endorsed him before the runoff and described him as the candidate who could restore law and order in Colombia.

De La Espriella has also promised to join the Shield of the Americas, a right-wing regional alliance launched by Trump.

The contrast with Petro has been clear. Colombia’s outgoing president has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics in the region and has faced threats of sanctions and military action from Washington.

How Crime Became A Major Election Issue

Rising crime has become one of the biggest concerns shaping elections across Latin America.

Conservative candidates have gained support by promising stronger police action, a larger military role, stricter migration controls and tougher prison policies.

De La Espriella’s promises of mega-prisons and a crackdown on criminal groups have drawn comparisons with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who calls himself the “world’s coolest dictator".

Bukele’s government has built the CECOT mega-prison as part of a mass campaign against gangs. His approach has become a model for other right-wing candidates in the region.

De La Espriella has denied that he is copying Bukele.

Analysts have also warned that the Salvadoran model cannot easily be transferred to Colombia.

“Colombia is a much larger country and far more complex to manage than El Salvador, and importing El Salvador’s security solutions into Colombia is not feasible, whether legally, budget-wise or in terms of international engagement," Sergio Guzman, founder of Colombia Risk Analysis, told Reuters.

The limits of tough-on-crime policies are already visible elsewhere.

In Ecuador, conservative President Daniel Noboa was re-elected in April 2025 with 56% of the vote after giving the military a larger role in coastal cities affected by drug gangs fighting over ports and trafficking routes. His government has also carried out joint operations with the United States against drug traffickers.

But violence has remained high. Murders rose by 30% last year, with Noboa’s government blaming turf wars between splintered gangs. His administration has also faced criticism over alleged human rights abuses, including extrajudicial executions.

Costa Rica has taken a similar approach. Laura Fernández, a former economy minister under conservative ex-president Rodrigo Chaves, won the presidential election in February with 48% of the vote.

During her campaign, she proposed a state of exception that would allow police to arrest suspects without warrants. She also promised to build a mega-prison modelled on El Salvador’s CECOT facility.

Murders, however, have remained high as Costa Rica has become an important transit point for cocaine being shipped from South America to the United States and Europe.

Why Economic Anger Is Pushing Voters Right

Economic frustration has also played a major role in the region’s conservative shift.

Right-wing leaders have campaigned on lower taxes, smaller government, cuts in public spending and looser rules for mining and fossil fuel projects.

Argentina offers the clearest example. Javier Milei, a libertarian economist and television commentator nicknamed “The Lion", won the presidency in November 2023 by promising to slash government spending and tackle the country’s long-running inflation crisis.

His government stopped the central bank from printing money to finance the deficit and reduced spending by dismissing civil servants, cutting subsidies and halting investment in public infrastructure.

Argentina’s inflation fell from 211% in 2023 to 32% in 2025.

But Milei’s austerity measures have also triggered repeated protests and have been blamed for lowering living standards, particularly among public sector workers.

Similar tensions are visible elsewhere. Bolivia declared a nationwide state of emergency after more than 50 days of protests and road blockades against austerity measures introduced by centre-right President Rodrigo Paz.

The blockades disrupted supplies of food, fuel and medicines and forced the government to deploy the military and police to clear roads.

In Chile, José Antonio Kast won the presidency in December with 58% of the vote after campaigning on crime, migration and opposition to the progressive government that had ruled for the previous four years.

Kast promised to expel undocumented migrants from countries including Venezuela and Haiti. After taking office, his government expanded a trench along Chile’s borders with Peru and Bolivia, saying it was intended to curb migration and drug trafficking.

Kast has since faced protests over rising unemployment and spending cuts affecting public servants. His approval rating also fell after his government increased fuel prices amid disruption caused by the Iran war.

How Trump Is Reshaping The Region

The rightward turn has created a more favourable political environment for Trump as Washington seeks to expand US influence in Latin America and counter China’s growing role in the region.

“This is an unusual alignment of the stars for Trump," Steven Levitsky, professor of Latin American Studies and government at Harvard University, told Reuters. “Rarely do you see a large number of governments as ideologically convergent as we’re seeing now."

In Honduras, Nasry Asfura, a real estate investor and former mayor from the conservative National Party, narrowly won the presidential election in November by less than one percentage point.

Trump endorsed Asfura and threatened to cut US aid to Honduras if he was not elected.

Under Asfura, Honduras has received deportees from third countries through an agreement with the United States, most of them Guatemalan nationals.

Costa Rica has also accepted migrants deported by the Trump administration. One flight in June included people from China, Vietnam, Colombia and Azerbaijan.

Trump’s support for De La Espriella fits into this wider pattern of Washington backing ideologically aligned leaders in the region.

About the Author

Karishma Jain

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo...Read More

News world Colombia Becomes The Latest To Swing Right: How Latin America’s Political Map Is Changing

Read More