Colombia's left-wing presidential candidate Iván Cepeda has officially conceded defeat to hard-right populist Abelardo de la Espriella following a closely contested run-off election.
Cepeda announced on Wednesday that he had decided to accept the outcome of the electoral process, despite previously saying he would wait for the completion of the legally binding final vote count.
Preliminary results released after Sunday's vote showed de la Espriella leading by less than one percentage point, marking one of the narrowest presidential victories in the country's recent history.
The concession effectively confirms de la Espriella as Colombia's next president ahead of his inauguration on August 7.
Cepeda said he accepted the result as an act of democratic responsibility intended to promote dialogue, peace and coexistence among Colombians.
His decision came after Colombia's National Registry reported that the preliminary count was 99.997 percent accurate following revisions conducted by municipal-level judges.
The scrutiny process is still continuing at departmental and national levels, but election authorities indicated that the initial results closely reflected the verified count.
Questions over the legitimacy of the vote had emerged from parts of the governing left.
President Gustavo Petro repeatedly raised concerns about electoral vulnerabilities and alleged manipulation and foreign interference before and after the election.
Petro also pointed to past vote-counting controversies and argued that irregularities could have affected the outcome.
However, election authorities maintained confidence in the accuracy of the preliminary results.
Cepeda also criticized the involvement of US President Donald Trump, whose public endorsement of de la Espriella became a major issue during the campaign.
Trump had praised the conservative candidate and criticized Cepeda during the election period.
After conceding, Cepeda said he would continue his political role from the Senate, where he is entitled to a seat as the runner-up in the presidential race.
Observers suggested the concession could highlight growing political distance between Cepeda and Petro as the current president approaches the end of his term.
Meanwhile, de la Espriella struck a conciliatory tone following his victory and moved quickly to strengthen ties with Washington, including expressing support for a US-led regional initiative aimed at combating organized crime and drug trafficking.