El Ciudadano
Original article: Elecciones Colombia 2026: la guerra sucia y la turbia campaña de Abelardo de la Espriella, una amenaza para la democracia
«The Lawyer of Narcos and Paramilitaries»: The Dark Surroundings of De la Espriella’s Campaign in Colombia
WHO PAYS FOR THE DIRTY WAR?
Millions of AI-generated flyers, featuring distorted images of Iván Cepeda and Aída Quilcué, have flooded the neighborhoods of Barranquilla, Soledad Atlántico, and Bogotá in recent hours. The black propaganda, distributed «under doors at midnight, like the criminals they are,» as denounced by John Forero, a member of Canal Red Colombia, adds to the systematic banning on social media of content creators affiliated with the Pacto Histórico initiative, as documented by journalist Daniela Pastrana for Diario RED.
Abelardo de la Espriella’s candidacy, characterized as an outsider who promises Colombians a firm hand against crime he has long protected, has attracted both old and new powerful allies desperate to block Iván Cepeda. The public debate poses a pressing question: who finances these campaigns?
The outlet highlights that various political forces likely unite for a single goal: to halt the popular project that emerged from the polls four years ago.
Visible support comes from the White House. U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have openly expressed their approval of the results from the first electoral round, where De la Espriella led with 43.74% of the votes, and they have maintained ties since January.
On January 26, De la Espriella posted a video of himself disembarking from a plane, declaring: «Mission accomplished! 
Important diplomatic matters are conducted in secret. I signed for the Homeland», following a private meeting with Rubio ahead of the Petro-Trump summit, a fact revealed by Diario RED.
Nationally, the backing from former President Álvaro Uribe is critical. In November 2025, De la Espriella stated to Semana: «Can you imagine President Uribe as Minister of Defense? Come on! We have the Messi of politics on the bench, let’s bring him out». His ongoing friendship is deep-rooted: «I’ve known the president since I was a child», he confessed, claiming to advise Uribe for free despite rumors of extravagant payments: «The leftists claim I’m paid a million dollars a month. I believe it’s two million, but I do it for free because everything President Uribe has done for Colombia is priceless». On Monday, June 15, Uribe confirmed that he spoke to wish him «the best» for the second round, details covered in Daniela Pastrana’s investigation for Diario RED.
Additionally, content creator Camilo Sánchez reported that the Por la Ventana show was a victim of a cyberattack during an interview with Iván Cepeda. The communicator explained that the video of the conversation disappeared from his YouTube account during the interview with the presidential candidate. He stated that they would continue to publish their regular content.
Moreover, he informed that the interview with Cepeda was re-uploaded to their digital platforms on Friday to ensure the audience could access the full content, reported Radio Nacional de Colombia.
The History of Abelardo de la Espriella
Diario RED emphasizes that far from the «outsider» discourse and the fight against corruption, De la Espriella’s trajectory is intertwined with some of the most controversial chapters of Colombia’s recent history. He defended Eleonora Pineda, Rocío Arias, and Dieb Maloof, three figures convicted of parapolitics; Alex Saab, accused of money laundering; David Murcia Guzmán, responsible for the DMG scheme; the Nule brothers, part of the «contracting carousel»; and Jorge Pretelt, the first Constitutional Court magistrate convicted of judicial corruption.
His ties to paramilitarism are hard to conceal. Salvatore Mancuso, leader of several paramilitary blocks, revealed: «I have known Abelardo since we were kids.» He later studied law, and we have remained friends». Moreover, De la Espriella presided over the Foundation for Peace of Córdoba (FIPAZ), an organization that, according to Mancuso’s statements before the JEP, was allegedly financed with resources from the AUC. Another former paramilitary leader, alias «El Tuzo,» accused him of purportedly working to legally benefit paramilitary commanders.
An investigation by Cambio unveiled that De la Espriella’s campaign reported payments of 1.299 billion pesos to Nova Soporte Integral, a company that had been inactive for years, which was reactivated months before the elections, with a legal representative identified as a university student classified as vulnerable in Sisbén. The press questions: «How did a company with no visible history, recently revitalized and with minimal business presence end up managing one of the most substantial contracts reported within the financial structure of a presidential campaign?».
Candidate Cepeda filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office alleging irregularities in a contract worth 3 billion pesos between De la Espriella’s firm and Saludvida EPS, an entity intervened by the state. De la Espriella himself acknowledged the contract in a 2019 statement.
The complaint also investigates operations exceeding 164 billion pesos involving Joaquín Gutiérrez, De la Espriella’s campaign chief, in the health and construction sectors.
Additionally, a worker from Copetran reported to the Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Labor, and Attorney General that the company’s manager warned employees that certain electoral outcomes could jeopardize their jobs, an action that would constitute illegal pressure on voting, as revealed by Diario RED.
Aida Quilcué, The Voice of the Territories
Aída Quilcué, vice-presidential candidate for the Pacto Histórico and a member of the Nasa people, speaks from a biography deeply woven into the conflict. In an interview with Pablo Iglesias on A Vueltas de Diario RED, she recounted that the Indigenous Minga of 2008 emerged because «we were being killed» due to state neglect during Uribe’s government.
Her husband, Edwin Legarda, was murdered in an ambush by the Army after that mobilization. Three months ago, she survived an assassination attempt and was kidnapped for four hours but managed to escape with the help of the Indigenous Guard.
In response to racist comments made by her rival’s campaign, Quilcué reacted forcefully: «I have never been a ghost and I am not avoiding the debate». She asserted: «We will not respond with hate, racism, and exclusion».
Her vision, she explained, is for a Colombia grounded in its territories, peace, and dignity, warning that in the country «a policy of hate and death is being established, not just against human beings but also against nature».
Watch the full interview:
Pablo Iglesias interviews Aida Quilcué, vice-presidential candidate of Colombia | A VUELTAS
La entrada Colombia 2026 Elections: Dirty Tactics and Abelardo de la Espriella’s Controversial Campaign Posing a Threat to Democracy se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
🔥 Ver noticia completa en ElCiudadano.cl 🔥
