Abelardo de la Espriella Wins Colombia by Under 1%, Vowing Dozens of Fossil-Fuel Decrees
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 8
Abelardo de la Espriella Wins Colombia by Under 1%, Vowing Dozens of Fossil-Fuel Decrees
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 8
Summary
Less than 1% decided Colombia’s 21 June election, handing Abelardo de la Espriella the presidency on a pledge to maximize fossil-fuel extraction and quickly unwind the Petro government’s green agenda after his 7 August swearing-in.
Dozens of planned decrees are expected to loosen environmental rules and speed licensing, even after de la Espriella softened some campaign rhetoric on fracking and large-scale extraction between the two voting rounds.
5% of GDP still comes from oil, coal and gas, and Colombia’s 2025 fiscal deficit hit 6.4%, giving economic weight to arguments that the country cannot rapidly turn away from extractive industries.
3,600MW of renewable capacity in 2026, up from 200MW in 2022, and non-mining, non-energy exports at 52.6% of total in 2025 had bolstered Petro’s transition strategy before the electoral reversal.
250,000 votes separated de la Espriella from leftist Iván Cepeda, and activists warn the new push for mining and drilling could intensify conflict in remote regions already shaped by armed groups and violence.