In a surprisingly robust performance, right-wing outsider candidate Abelardo de la Espriella will face leftist candidate senator Iván Cepeda in a runoff to resolve Colombia’s presidency, setting the stage for a battle over Colombia’s political future and the course of its relationships with key worldwide companions, together with the United States.
With greater than 98% of the votes counted de la Espriella gained essentially the most ballots with 43.73% of the vote, falling wanting absolutely the majority required to win outright in the primary spherical. Cepeda, representing the left-wing Historic Pact coalition, was in second place with 40.91%. The first-round vote left Democratic Center candidate Paloma Valencia trailing nicely behind with 6.91%, in accordance to preliminary outcomes launched by the National Civil Registry. The 46-year-old represented the Democratic Center celebration based by former President Álvaro Uribe and have become the primary lady to win the celebration’s presidential nomination.
The runoff, scheduled for June 21, will pit two sharply contrasting political visions towards one another in what is predicted to be a extremely polarized race.
Who are the candidates heading to the runoff
Abelardo de la Espriella, 47, is a lawyer and political outsider who emerged as one of many strongest challengers to the governing coalition, has spoken favorably of US President Donald Trump and has drawn comparisons from supporters and critics alike to leaders similar to El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele due to his tough-on-crime rhetoric.
Running on a platform centered on safety, legislation and order, and financial liberalization, the self-described conservative nationalist has promised a extra confrontational strategy towards legal organizations, stronger safety ties with the United States and Israel, decrease taxes, and expanded oil exploration. He has additionally pledged to reverse what he describes because the failures of Petro’s administration.
Senator Iván Cepeda, 63, entered the race because the standard-bearer of Petro’s governing coalition, the Historic Pact. A longtime left-wing politician and human rights advocate, Cepeda campaigned on persevering with a lot of Petro’s insurance policies, together with the federal government’s “total peace” technique geared toward negotiating with armed teams.
The son of assassinated politician Manuel Cepeda Vargas, he spent years in human rights activism and served as a key participant in peace negotiations involving guerrilla teams.
His marketing campaign centered on social inclusion, human rights, agrarian reform and what he describes as a “democratic revolution” to deepen the modifications initiated underneath Petro.
Cepeda has framed the election as a alternative between preserving progressive reforms and returning to conventional political fashions.
The election is extensively considered as a verdict on the turbulent presidency of Gustavo Petro, who got here to energy in 2022, and on the long run course of Colombia’s political and financial mannequin.
Supporters of the federal government argue that Petro’s administration expanded social protections and superior reforms regardless of institutional resistance. Critics contend that the federal government failed to ship on key guarantees, notably in healthcare and safety, whereas financial development remained sluggish.
The marketing campaign has additionally unfolded amid heightened issues about political violence and armed battle, making safety one of the distinguished points for voters. Although the nation noticed a break in violence between insurgent teams and the federal government in the ten years because the historic settlement between guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and the federal government, legal gang exercise is rising.
Presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot at a marketing campaign rally in June and remained hospitalized for weeks after present process a number of surgical procedures. He died of his accidents on August 11.
Petro’s flagship “total peace” coverage — a technique of negotiating ceasefires concurrently with a number of guerrilla factions and legal organizations — drew the sharpest traces of the marketing campaign. Supporters argued it was a essential, if imperfect, effort to finish a long time of armed battle; opponents stated it empowered unlawful actors and made Colombia much less secure.
The consequence will decide not solely Colombia’s home agenda but in addition its relationship with the United States and neighboring Venezuela, each of which turned recurring themes all through the marketing campaign.
The election may form Colombia’s relationship with the United States, one in all its closest safety and financial companions. Petro’s relationship with and Trump was usually tense, notably over migration, counternarcotics insurance policies and regional diplomacy, although the 2 governments moved to stabilize ties in latest months.
Petro publicly clashed with Trump over deportation flights early in 2025, briefly triggering the specter of sweeping tariffs earlier than a speedy deescalation. The episode rattled markets and underscored how uncovered Colombia stays to shifts in US coverage, notably on commerce and counter-narcotics funding.
Petro then visited the White House in February 2026 and agreed to important concessions on drug interdiction and cooperation towards legal networks.
The drug commerce stays the central axis of the bilateral relationship. Colombia continues to be the world’s largest producer of cocaine, and US counter-narcotics strain will probably weigh closely on the brand new chief, no matter political celebration. Trump, who has intervened brazenly in different Latin American electoral contests, has not but publicly given an opinion on the Colombian election race.
The main candidates have provided totally different visions for the connection. Cepeda has advocated for a extra unbiased overseas coverage and larger Latin American integration, whereas right-wing candidates Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia have argued for nearer alignment with Washington on safety and financial points.
The consequence of subsequent month’s runoff is probably going to be intently watched in Washington given Colombia’s strategic position in efforts to fight drug trafficking and handle migration flows throughout the hemisphere.