Colombia’s election of right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella has placed the country’s restored relations with the Polisario Front under scrutiny.
De la Espriella won 49.6% of the vote in the June 21 runoff, narrowly defeating leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, Colombia’s electoral authority said after completing the final count.
His victory ends four years of government under Gustavo Petro and marks a sharp shift in a country that has traditionally been one of Washington’s closest partners in South America.
The change is being followed in Rabat because Petro restored Colombia’s recognition of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and re-established diplomatic relations with it in August 2022, reversing a suspension that had lasted since 2000.
Petro subsequently deepened those ties, receiving a Sahrawi ambassador and adopting positions critical of Morocco’s control of Western Sahara.
De la Espriella has not spoken publicly about recognition of the Sahrawi entity or relations with Morocco, but his wider foreign-policy direction, however, points toward a break with Petro. The president-elect has promised closer security cooperation with the United States, praised President Donald Trump and indicated that rebuilding relations with Israel will be an early priority.
That alignment could create pressure for a reassessment of policies adopted by Petro on disputes where Bogotá moved away from Washington or its regional partners.
Daday Biebout, a researcher on the Sahara dispute, told Hespress the result could weaken one of the Polisario Front’s most important remaining sources of diplomatic support in Latin America.
Ramadan Masoud El Arabi, a member of Morocco’s Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs, also said closer relations between Bogotá and Washington could prompt a broader foreign-policy review.
During Petro’s presidency, sections of Congress adopted motions opposing his decision to restore relations with the Sahrawi entity and expressing support for Morocco’s territorial position.
Before Petro took office, Colombia had backed a negotiated solution within the framework of Morocco’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in a 2021 joint statement.
De la Espriella will take office on August 7.
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