The game is up in Bogotá. The leftist challenger, Gustavo Petro, has conceded. The establishment candidate, Iván Duque, will be the next president of Colombia.
The Foreign Office is breathing a sigh of relief. Quietly, they have been working the diplomatic backchannels for months. Leaks from the Colombia desk suggest a coordinated effort with Washington and Madrid.
The message? Stability. The fear?
A Venezuela-style implosion. UK trade interests in the region are substantial. Oil, mining, and financial services.
A Petro victory would have spooked the markets. Now for the narrative. The prime minister will be on the phone to Duque within hours.
Expect a statement praising Colombia's 'democratic maturity'. But the real story is the backroom work. The UK has been providing intelligence support to the Colombian government.
Counter-narcotics, but also political analysis. Downing Street will claim this is a win for 'sovereign democracy'. The reality is more cynical.
It is a win for the status quo. A loss for the populist wave. But there is a warning from the polling data.
Duque won, but the margin was narrow. Support for the left is growing. The UK cannot rely on this game plan forever.
For now, the champagne is on ice in Whitehall. They will keep a close eye on the FARC peace deal. Duque is hawkish.
That could destabilise the region again. But for today, the clean lines of a successful covert operation. The left conceded.
The UK-backed candidate won. The lobby will be fed the line that British influence played a key role. And they will swallow it.
The game continues.
