Colombian right-wing candidate Abelardo De La Espriella won the country’s presidential run-off, marking the latest sign of Latin America’s drift to the right.
Colombia joins Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, and Perú, where voters have increasingly favoured conservative leaders in the face of rising crime and slowing economic growth.
Some on the left have criticized the role Washington has played in electing right-wing leaders, as the Trump administration has sought to increase US influence across the region.
Though radicalism and division threaten conservative rule in Latin America, this is nonetheless “an unusual alignment of the stars for [US President Donald] Trump,” Latin America expert and Harvard professor Steven Levitsky told Reuters.
