On May 5, polling stations across Colombia opened to voters for the first round of presidential elections, with 14 candidates on the ballot. The main race centers on three names: Senator Ivan Cepeda (ruling party), businessman Abelardo de la Espriella, and Senator Paloma Valencia (right-wing).
Cepeda, 63, leads opinion polls with a 33.4% support rate, according to a survey by the National Consulting Center (CNC) earlier in May. If he secures over 50% of the vote, he will avoid a second round scheduled for June 21; otherwise, the top two candidates will face off in a decisive showdown.
Cepeda pledges to continue the social reform policies of incumbent President Gustavo Petro, who became Colombia's first left-wing president in history in 2022. However, scandals and doubts about policy effectiveness have eroded support for Petro.
Candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, 47, promises to crack down on crime and armed groups by intensifying security campaigns and building mega-prisons, modeled after El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele. Meanwhile, Paloma Valencia—backed by former President Alvaro Uribe—is polling third. If elected, she would become Colombia's first female president.
The elections occur under tight security. Authorities have banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in public spaces to reduce tensions. The risk of violence looms, especially after the assassination of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay in Bogota last year. Uribe Turbay was the son of journalist Diana Turbay, who was kidnapped and killed by the Medellin cartel in 1991.
Internal conflict, spanning over six decades with involvement from criminal networks, right-wing paramilitary groups, left-wing guerrillas, and government forces, remains a central campaign issue. Cepeda backs President Petro's "Total Peace" plan, prioritizing negotiations over military solutions. In contrast, de la Espriella calls for a hardline military campaign.
The vote also serves as a referendum on Petro's legacy, who expanded social safety nets and adopted a confrontational stance toward the U.S.—from criticizing airstrikes on drug traffickers' ships to supporting Palestinian rights. He was sanctioned by the U.S. after President Donald Trump accused him of drug trafficking ties (without evidence), but relations improved following his visit to the White House in February.
