Colombian right-wing presidential candidate endorsed by Trump ordered to apologise for sexism

BOGOTA - A Colombian judge on June 2 ordered hard-right presidential frontrunner Abelardo de la Espriella to apologise for claiming that women voted for him because of his purported virility and for harassing a female journalist.

In a radio interview on May 12, De la Espriella – who was endorsed on June 2 by US President Donald Trump – showed journalists a photograph on his cellphone, which he said explained why women voted for him.

The photograph was not clearly visible in the video of the interview but a picture shared on social media presented as the offending image, shows the millionaire lawyer in tight trousers, with a visible bulge.

He then “insisted that a female journalist present look at the photo and comment on it, with remarks such as ‘come closer and tell me what you see there’ and ‘don’t be shy,’“ the judge said, denouncing the “explicit sexual connotation”.

Writing on X, the reporter who he pressured to look at the picture, said she felt “harassed and disgusted” by his behaviour, calling it a “complete lack of respect for me and my work”.

The judge gave the 47-year-old candidate 48 hours to publicly apologise for his remarks, which she blasted as reproducing “historical stereotypes that are discriminatory towards women”.

De la Espriella apologised to the journalist on X, while claiming that he was engaging in “humour”.

A father of four with close ties to evangelical preachers, he has been criticised for a series of remarks deemed homophobic or sexist on the campaign trail. AFP