The photograph shows a real event, but it documents 2022, not 2026.
En Colombia, donde la temporada electoral de 2026 comienza a tomar forma, una fotografía de cuatro años de antigüedad ha sido presentada como evidencia del impulso actual de una candidatura presidencial. La imagen de Abelardo de la Espriella rodeado de una multitud no pertenece a su campaña presente, sino a un mitin de abril de 2022 en apoyo de Federico Gutiérrez. Este episodio no es solo un error de contexto: es un recordatorio de que en la era digital, el pasado puede ser convocado para fabricar un presente que no existe, y que los votantes cargan con el peso de distinguir entre ambos.
- Una foto que muestra a de la Espriella ante una gran multitud se viralizó en Facebook y Threads con la sugerencia de que su campaña 2026 está llenando plazas y recintos en todo el país.
- La imagen es de abril de 2022: fue tomada en un evento de Barranquilla a favor del entonces candidato Federico Gutiérrez, donde los asistentes llevaban ropa con el lema 'Fico presidente'.
- Una búsqueda inversa de imágenes y un video de YouTube subido por el propio canal legal de de la Espriella confirman la fecha y el contexto real del evento.
- La desinformación llega en un momento crítico: el 8 de marzo se celebran consultas primarias interpartidistas y la elección presidencial está fijada para el 31 de mayo de 2026.
- El caso ilustra con qué facilidad una imagen auténtica puede ser reencuadrada para fabricar un relato de apoyo popular que los votantes no tienen forma de verificar sin herramientas especializadas.
Una fotografía de Abelardo de la Espriella tomándose una selfie ante una multitud lleva semanas circulando en redes sociales, acompañada de mensajes que la presentan como prueba de que el precandidato presidencial está convocando multitudes en su campaña rumbo a las elecciones del 31 de mayo de 2026. La imagen es real. La multitud es real. Pero la fecha no lo es.
La foto fue tomada el 27 de abril de 2022, en un evento político en Barranquilla organizado en apoyo del entonces candidato Federico 'Fico' Gutiérrez. De la Espriella, abogado y empresario de 47 años que compite por primera vez a un cargo de elección popular al frente del movimiento Defensores de la Patria, subió al escenario ese día para criticar a Gustavo Petro, hoy presidente. Un video publicado en su propio canal de YouTube bajo el título 'Discurso de Abelardo De La Espriella - Barranquilla - Abril 27' confirma el contexto sin lugar a dudas.
Los detalles dentro de la imagen misma delatan el engaño: los asistentes visibles en la foto llevan camisetas y gorras con el lema 'Fico presidente', mercancía característica de la campaña de Gutiérrez en 2022. El recinto también coincide con el del video. Gutiérrez, actual alcalde de Medellín, terminó segundo en aquella carrera presidencial, detrás de Petro.
La recontextualización de esta imagen no es un malentendido casual: es una operación deliberada para inflar la percepción del apoyo popular a de la Espriella en un momento decisivo. Con las consultas primarias del 8 de marzo a la vuelta de la esquina y una veintena de precandidatos en competencia, el episodio subraya los riesgos de desinformación que enfrentan los votantes colombianos al intentar evaluar el verdadero peso de cada candidatura.
A photograph of Abelardo de la Espriella has been circulating across Facebook and Threads for weeks, shared hundreds of times by supporters claiming the presidential candidate has been filling plazas and arenas across the country in recent days. The image shows him taking a selfie with a large crowd behind him, and the captions accompanying it suggest these are scenes from his current campaign leading up to Colombia's May 31 presidential election. But the photograph is not recent. It was taken in April 2022, at a political rally in Barranquilla for a different candidate entirely.
De la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer and businessman born July 31, 1978, is one of roughly twenty precandidates vying for the presidency. He founded the movement Defensores de la Patria and is running for elected office for the first time after years practicing law, representing everyone from paramilitaries and drug traffickers to professional athletes. His campaign has included appearances at public events, including the Barranquilla Carnival on February 14, where he was met with both applause and insults. But the viral image does not document his current campaign momentum.
A reverse image search traced the photograph to an article published by the news outlet Pulzo on April 28, 2022. The piece reported that de la Espriella had taken the stage at a political event for then-candidate Federico "Fico" Gutiérrez in Barranquilla on April 27, 2022, where he criticized Gustavo Petro, who is now president. A YouTube video uploaded the following day by de la Espriella's own legal channel confirms the setting: a 15-minute speech titled "Speech by Abelardo De La Espriella - Barranquilla - April 27," posted under the account "De la espriella lawyers," shows him speaking at an event called "Empresarios Unidos por Colombia" in support of Gutiérrez's campaign.
The details in the photograph itself corroborate this timeline. The auditorium visible in the image matches the venue in the YouTube video. More tellingly, attendees in the crowd are wearing shirts and caps bearing the slogan "Fico presidente"—merchandise from Gutiérrez's 2022 presidential campaign. The current mayor of Medellín, Gutiérrez finished second in that race, behind Petro. De la Espriella's appearance at his rally was a moment of political theater: he took the stage uninvited, according to the Pulzo report, to deliver criticism of Petro and another political figure.
The misattribution matters because it inflates the apparent scale and momentum of de la Espriella's candidacy at a crucial moment. Colombia's presidential election is scheduled for May 31, 2026, and on March 8, multiple precandidates will participate in inter-party primary consultations to determine which candidates will advance. The circulation of a four-year-old photograph as evidence of current campaign rallies is a straightforward case of misinformation—not a misunderstanding, but a deliberate reframing of an old image to suggest recent success. The photograph shows a real event, a real crowd, and a real de la Espriella moment, but it documents 2022, not 2026. As Colombia's electoral season intensifies, the ease with which such images can be recycled and recontextualized on social media underscores the verification challenges facing voters trying to assess candidates' actual support.
Citações Notáveis
De la Espriella has filled plazas and arenas in recent days, proving he is the only one who can transform the country— Social media posts circulating the photograph
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that this particular photo is from 2022 rather than now? Isn't it still a real crowd?
It's real, yes, but it's being used to claim something false—that de la Espriella is filling venues right now, in his current campaign. The image is being weaponized to manufacture the appearance of momentum he may not actually have.
How did the misinformation spread so effectively?
Social media doesn't require context. A photo with a caption saying "he's filling plazas" gets shared hundreds of times without anyone checking when it was taken. The original event was four years ago, but most people sharing it never knew that.
Did de la Espriella's team spread it, or was it supporters acting on their own?
The source material doesn't say. What we know is that the photo was being shared across Facebook and Threads with claims about his current campaign. Whether it originated from his campaign or grassroots supporters is unclear.
What does this tell us about the 2026 race?
It shows the vulnerability of the electoral process to image manipulation. With twenty candidates competing and primary consultations coming in March, voters are being fed false evidence of support. It's a preview of what to expect.
Is de la Espriella's campaign itself credible, or is this a sign of deeper problems?
The campaign itself may be legitimate, but this particular tactic—recycling old images—suggests either carelessness or deliberate deception. Either way, it erodes trust in what candidates are actually accomplishing.