Colombia is facing a contested presidential transition after preliminary results showed right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly ahead of left-wing rival Iván Cepeda in Sunday’s runoff.

De la Espriella has claimed victory, while Cepeda’s campaign has said it is challenging results from thousands of polling stations. Colombian electoral authorities distinguish between preliminary election-night reporting and the official scrutiny process, meaning the early count is politically important but not the final legal word.

That distinction should be central to any coverage. The Registraduría’s election information pages describe official results and scrutiny as separate from preliminary pre-count reporting. Until the legal scrutiny is complete, the article should avoid saying the election has been finally certified.

The stakes are high. Colombia is a major regional security actor and a key US partner, while the next administration will inherit disputes over drug policy, peace negotiations, human rights and relations with Venezuela and Washington.

The responsible formulation is that de la Espriella is ahead in preliminary results and has claimed victory, while Cepeda’s side is challenging parts of the count.