Indonesian Ambassador becomes international observer amid Colombia’s president

RRI.CO.ID, Bogota – Indonesia’s Ambassador to Colombia, Tatang Razak, served as one of the international observers in Colombia’s presidential runoff election, which brought together candidates from the left-wing and right-wing blocs. In an official statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Colombia received in Jakarta on Monday, 22 June 2026, the observation mission was conducted at the official invitation of Colombia’s National Electoral Council (CNE), with Tatang Razak being the only observer from Asia alongside more than 20 representatives from other countries.

“Together with other international observers from more than 20 countries, we carried out a thorough observation mission during the first round in Medellín and the second round in Bogotá,” the statement read.

The second round of Colombia’s presidential election on 21 June 2026 featured left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda, supported by President Gustavo Petro, against right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who is backed by conservative groups and several international actors. Voting closed at 4:00 p.m. local time and was followed by vote counting, which was directly monitored by international observers at the CNE command center.

“Voting closed, and counting began immediately, where the Indonesian Ambassador and other observers headed to the command center to follow the counting process,” the statement added.

Within approximately two hours after counting began, preliminary results showed 100 percent of votes had been processed, with right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella leading with 12,950,642 votes (49.65 percent), while Iván Cepeda secured 12,702,592 votes (48.70 percent). The CNE is scheduled to announce the official results within one week. The election across both rounds was reported to have proceeded relatively smoothly without major incidents, despite earlier concerns over potential tensions due to deep political ideological divisions and increasing violence ahead of the election.

The preliminary outcome also indicates a possible shift in Colombia’s foreign policy, including relations with the United States and Israel, should the right-wing victory be confirmed.