Cody Weddle

Abelardo de la Espriella’s zero-tolerance policy towards cartels has lifted him ahead of the ‘Marxist’ Iván Cepeda in the polls before Sunday’s election

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — During a speech on Sunday night, Colombian presidential candidate Iván Cepeda said the preliminary vote count results were “not official or binding” and vowed “to challenge” it.

U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Abelardo De la Espriella, Colombia's new president-elect, during a phone call on Sunday, according to De La Espriella's campaign.

Abelardo de la Espriella, characterized by critics as far right, had earned the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump, who had said he would stop illegal immigration and crack down on crime and drugs.

Fernando Bermudez was among the Venezuelan migrants who live in Colombia who breathed a sigh of relief after Abelardo De la Espriella’s narrow presidential victory on Sunday’s runoff election.

Preliminary vote count: De la Espriella wins about 250,830 more votes than Cepeda

Families in anguish hoped for reunions, as search-and-rescue operations continued on Thursday night in Venezuela. Some shared their “missing persons” posts online on new sites.

Memphis Barker, Lily Shanagher, Cody Weddle of The Telegraph

BOGOTA, Colombia. — Rescue crews from around the world are working against the clock to find survivors trapped under rubble, as experts warn of a 72-hour window of opportunity to save those still missing.

Officials have raised the death toll from Venezuela’s twin earthquakes to more than 1,450 people, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez confirmed, as frustrations mounted over traffic choking the only highway connecting Caracas to the hard-hit state of La Guaira.