The Colombian Foreign Ministry on Friday rejected any foreign intervention in the presidential elections on June 21. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Government of Colombia, expresses its deep concern and rejects any manifestation of support, pressure or external intervention that seeks to interfere in the development of the electoral process of the Republic of Colombia,” reads a press release.
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Carlos Carrillo, the director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) resigned this Friday, as he himself confirmed in a dialogue with El Espectador. Carrillo was suspended on Tuesday by the Attorney General’s Office for alleged political participation by calling Abelardo de la Espriella’s presidential candidacy “an openly fascist project.” The still director of the UNGRD is awaiting the Casa de Nariño to accept his resignation, which would be added to that of the director of the National Land Agency, Felipe Harman, who resigned to join Iván Cepeda’s campaign.
Meanwhile, the Registrar’s Office has presented the ballot that will be delivered in the second round elections on June 21. The ballot consists of three boxes. The first is for Iván Cepeda with his running mate, Aida Quilcué. The second, for Abelardo de la Espriella, with José Manuel Restrepo. The third, for the blank vote. The order is the same as that drawn on March 25 for the first round.
Iván Cepeda: “Abelardo De la Espriella and his social media ‘bodegas’ are using AI to send false messages”
Candidate Iván Cepeda accused Abelardo de la Espriella’s campaign this Friday of using artificial intelligence to spread lies. “Mr. de la Espriella, his publicists and his ‘bodegas’ are using artificial intelligence to send false messages in which I supposedly launch insults and aggressions against certain sectors of the country. All of that is a lie and falsehood, because they cannot win with the truth,” Cepeda said from a march in the city of Ibagupe.
Colombian Foreign Ministry rejects any foreign intervention in elections
The Colombian Foreign Ministry on Friday rejected any foreign intervention in the presidential elections on June 21. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Government of Colombia, expresses its deep concern and rejects any manifestation of support, pressure or external intervention that seeks to interfere in the development of the electoral process of the Republic of Colombia,” reads a press release. “Decisions about the political future of the nation are exclusively the responsibility of the Colombian people, through the free, sovereign and democratic exercise of their right to vote. Any statement or action by foreign actors aimed at favoring or harming candidacies, parties or political projects constitutes an inadmissible interference in the democratic evolution that has marked Colombia’s history.”
Roy Barreras questions Iván Cepeda’s campaign: “It seems paralyzed”
Former presidential candidate Roy Barreras on Friday questioned the campaign of left-wing senator Iván Cepeda. In an interview with Blu Radio, the former ambassador and senator assured that the progressive campaign needs to open up to other center sectors to win in the second round. “While De la Espriella’s campaign this week has announced the endorsements of Paloma Valencia, David Luna, Juan Carlos Pinzón, Leonardo Huerta, Donald Trump and Georgia Meloni, the progressive campaign seems paralyzed. And I say this with anguish.” Barreras published a photo with President Gustavo Petro on Thursday.
Hundreds of young people march in Bogotá in favor of Iván Cepeda
Hundreds of young people marched this Friday afternoon through the streets of northern Bogotá in favor of candidate Iván Cepeda. Supporters of the left-wing senator, who will face far-right Abelardo de la Espriella in the second round, walked along Carrera Séptima. Every afternoon this week there have been artistic and peaceful demonstrations in support of the candidate who proposes to continue Gustavo Petro’s government’s political project.
The Liberal Party invites its members to vote for Abelardo de la Espriella
The Liberal Party this Friday invited its members to vote for far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella. “The Senate and House benches of the Liberal Party, which have just been elected by three million Colombians, have just decided, without consulting any campaign, to invite the grassroots to vote for the defense of the 1991 constitution. Although we have differences with the candidate, we recognize in Abelardo De la Espriella an unwavering conviction to assume the defense of the 1991 constitution,” reads a press release signed by former president César Gaviria, the party’s director.
The party, however, makes it clear that the decision is not mandatory and that its members are free to support the candidate of their choice. “There are voices within the party that have reservations about the meaning of this decision, and they will have the freedom in this process to vote for the candidate of their preference. Always and in all cases we will be attentive to the defense of the 1991 constitution. We find that one of the campaigns no longer wants to collect signatures for a constituent assembly, a favorable development.”
The decision comes despite candidate de la Espriella publishing a message on X rejecting the support of the liberal congressmen.
President Petro again participates in politics: “Crime cannot reach power, because democracy ends”
President Gustavo Petro has again participated in politics despite being prohibited by law. This time, he assured during the promotion ceremony for new officers of the National Army that “crime cannot reach power, because democracy ends,” in clear reference to candidate Abelardo de la Espriella.
ELECTIONS IN COLOMBIA
Sergio Fajardo: “The next Government will be the most difficult in Colombia’s recent history”
Sergio Fajardo (Medellín, 69 years old) will not run again in an election. He is satisfied with his last campaign, which he describes as “the most difficult” of his life. The presidential second round will be decided on June 21 between left-wing senator Iván Cepeda and far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella. The mathematician who governed Medellín, the professor, obtained 4.2% in the first round and was out of the race, in a distant fourth place but with a million votes that, he affirms, are worth gold in political terms.
The day before attending EL PAÍS in the dining room of his apartment on the eastern hills of Bogotá, with superb views of a ravine, he presented a decalogue in which he called, among other points, for an end to polarization and hatred, while avoiding taking sides with Cepeda or De la Espriella. He also rejected the call for a National Constituent Assembly, a resisted idea that the Government of Gustavo Petro has abandoned. “I am at peace, calm, happy; after so many things, I still have energy,” he says at the beginning of this conversation.</p
Read the full interview here.
Elections in Colombia
The Colombian diaspora drives Abelardo de la Espriella’s victory
There are no tigers in Colombia, but the far-right discourse of Abelardo De La Espriella, the candidate who identifies with that animal, has gone around the world. The unexpected winner of the first presidential round, the criminal lawyer obtained 54% of the almost 600,000 votes registered abroad, with 319,988 endorsements. He surpassed Iván Cepeda, the left-wing candidate with whom he will dispute the second round on June 21, by 26 percentage points. The senator from the ruling Pacto Histórico party obtained 28% of the votes (167,526), while the established right-wing candidate, Paloma Valencia, was relegated to a distant third place, with less than half of those votes: 54,549.
Read the full news here.
UNGRD director resigns after being suspended for alleged political participation
Carlos Carrillo, the director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) resigned this Friday, as he himself confirmed in a dialogue with El Espectador. Carrillo was suspended on Tuesday by the Attorney General’s Office for alleged political participation by calling Abelardo de la Espriella’s presidential candidacy “an openly fascist project.”
The still director of the UNGRD is awaiting the Casa de Nariño to accept his resignation, which would be added to that of the director of the National Land Agency, Felipe Harman, who resigned to join Iván Cepeda’s campaign.
Paloma Valencia requests an audit of 218 polling stations where Cepeda received 100% of the votes
Former Uribista candidate, Paloma Valencia, has urged electoral authorities to conduct an audit of 218 polling stations where left-wing candidate, Iván Cepeda, obtained 100% of the votes. According to data collected by the senator, these polling stations are located in Cauca, Nariño, Chocó, and Catatumbo, areas historically affected by armed conflict.
“168 of those polling stations are in PDET municipalities, where armed groups such as FARC dissidents and the ELN exercise territorial control (…). More than 15,500 unanimous votes are no coincidence,” she denounced.
ELECTIONS IN COLOMBIA
Pedro Sánchez: “The promise to end drug trafficking in 90 days is impossible”
Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez, granted this interview on the sidelines, at breakneck speed. First, at the Bogotá air base, where a group of journalists from international media awaited President Gustavo Petro to fly with him to Putumayo to visit a coca crop substitution zone, on a plane that never took off. Then, at the Casa de Nariño, where the president summoned some correspondents to talk only about substitution. This Thursday, at least, he did not want to talk about politics, campaigns, or the electoral results he questioned. He travels next week to New York to meet with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and, incidentally, demonstrate to the United Nations that his Government does combat drug trafficking.
Colombian current affairs, however, are going in another direction, beyond crop substitution. The country is focused on the second presidential round that will be decided on June 21, with two antagonistic candidates. In everything, but mainly in security: Iván Cepeda, the official candidate, who talks about the structural causes of violence and opts for negotiation; Abelardo de la Espriella, who calls Sánchez a “mockery” of a minister and promises to achieve in 90 days what neither he nor any other minister has achieved so far.
Read the full interview here.
Mexican magnate Ricardo Salinas backs far-right Abelardo de la Espriella
Ricardo Salinas, one of Latin America’s richest men, has backed the candidacy of far-right Abelardo de la Espriella. “I want to congratulate businessman De la Espriella for his overwhelming triumph over the corrupt Colombian caste of ‘Gobiernicolas’ in the first round of elections. Colombia and Mexico deserve governments that pursue and combat those who break the law,” the Mexican magnate said in an X post.
“For the movement, his statement validates that Abelardo’s independent and pragmatic model is viewed with hope by the global right,” responded the Defensores de la Patria movement, founded by the Colombian candidate.
At the end of 2025, Mexico’s Supreme Court ordered Salinas to pay a multi-million dollar sum to the Treasury in a judicial case that lasted years and was finally decided against the magnate. The businessman has been riding the wave of the culture war for some time. From his X account, he has spent the last few years attacking everything that smelled of leftism, feminism, or social policies.
Ballot for the second presidential round. / National Registry
The Registrar’s Office reveals the ballot for the second round
The Registrar’s Office has presented the ballot that will be delivered in the second round elections on June 21. The ballot consists of three boxes. The first is for Iván Cepeda with his running mate, Aida Quilcué. The second, for Abelardo de la Espriella, with José Manuel Restrepo. The third, for the blank vote. The order is the same as that drawn on March 25 for the first round.
Cepeda adds 32 football fan groups to his campaign
The battle over who claims the football flag continued this Friday, after the Petro-aligned candidate, Iván Cepeda, announced that 32 fan groups and 18 collectives from different Colombian teams had joined his campaign. They did so with a symbolic handover of a Colombian national team jersey, an item that is at the center of the electoral dispute.
“This is not a mere commercial object, it represents us as a nation, it is a symbol that unites us. It belongs to no one, it belongs to all of us, and that is why we cannot allow it to be stolen from us. We cannot let someone come and arrogate the power to say that it represents their ideals,” said Cepeda, who has promised a social fan program.
Shakira denounces a montage linking her to Cepeda’s campaign: “I do not endorse any candidate”
Shakira has denounced in a statement sent to Hola! magazine the use of her image for political campaigns in Colombia. Specifically, a montage went viral showing the Barranquilla singer alongside left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda and his vice-presidential running mate, Aida Quilcué.
The poster was created and shared by the Wolfpack, Shakira’s fan club. For now, it has not been shared by Cepeda’s official campaign channels.
“The images circulating of me supporting presidential candidates are false. I do not endorse any candidate, nor have I authorized the use of my image in any campaign,” the artist responded to the media. She also states that her wish is for the elections on June 21 “to proceed with transparency and in an atmosphere of peace.”
Read the full news at this link.
De la Espriella’s campaign denounces that one of its headquarters in Bogotá has been attacked by “Petro and Cepeda collectives”
Abelardo de la Espriella’s campaign has denounced that its Teusaquillo headquarters in Bogotá has been attacked by “members of the hordes of maladjusted individuals.” Jaime Andrés Beltrán, national regions manager for the campaign, said that these were “Petro and Cepeda collectives” and assured that they tried to forcibly enter the building and assaulted campaign members.
The videos shared by the Defensores de la Patria movement show about twenty people demonstrating in front of the building. Several carried posters with images of the Petro-aligned candidate Iván Cepeda and his vice-presidential running mate, Aida Quilcué.
“What they didn’t win at the polls, they want to win by setting the country on fire!” said Beltrán.
De la Espriella points to several politicians for alleged vote buying on the Caribbean Coast
Following the warning issued by the US Undersecretary of State that Colombians participating in fraudulent practices during the elections face visa cancellation, far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has pointed to several politicians for allegedly buying votes in the Caribbean.
“In Soledad there is a very fierce vote buyer: Mr. Pulgar. What is happening in Sucre is terrible and we have identified Mr. Mario Fernández Alcocer. In Córdoba, the Calle family. In Cesar, Mr. Ape Cuello. And in Bolívar we have also identified some people,” De la Espriella indicated in a statement, referring only to politicians and figures who have not aligned with his candidacy.
National Registry
The Registrar’s Office shows that the ‘hash’ code of the Divipole program was not modified in the days leading up to the elections
The Registrar’s Office has refuted President Gustavo Petro’s accusations of alleged modifications to the electoral software for the first round and, consequently, to the electoral roll. It presented data from the DIVIPOLE (Political Electoral Division) file, which the president claimed had been altered in the days leading up to the elections to add some 885,000 ID cards. The Hash code, an algorithm that prevents modifications, is the same on three different dates: May 26, May 31, and June 4. “It matches before, during, and after the election day last Sunday, May 31, which certifies that the file was not modified, and guarantees the integrity and transparency of the democratic process,” reads a statement.
The data was presented at a meeting at the Registrar’s Office headquarters in Bogotá. The Comptroller’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, electoral observation missions, and delegates from the Ministry of Interior participated.
“This Hash code proves that any download of this type of file cannot be altered because the codes will always be the same,” emphasized the registrar, Hernán Penagos, who added that the file size is the same on all three dates. “You can download these files once, 100, or 1000 times and the Hash code is never modified. On the contrary: the trace of the moments they were downloaded remains.”
Beyond the lack of alterations in the algorithm, the MOE found on Wednesday an alternative explanation for President Petro’s figures on alleged fraud in last Sunday’s first round. It explained in a report that several of the numbers cited by the president appear in the electoral logistics data for Colombians voting abroad. An example is the 885,409 ID cards that Petro pointed to as last-minute additions to the electoral roll. In reality, “they are a projection of the people who could go to vote from Monday to Saturday [abroad] and who are already part of the electoral roll of each consulate.” “Their objective is to operationalize the legal mandate to open polling stations abroad from the Monday prior to election day in national territory,” the document reads.
Petro accuses the Attorney General’s Office of censoring the press over an investigation against the RTVC manager
President Gustavo Petro has accused the Attorney General’s Office of “press censorship” after it was revealed that the body opened an investigation against Hollman Morris, general manager of RTVC, Colombia’s public television network.
According to the entity, led by Gregorio Eljach, Morris has been denounced for alleged irregularities related to the use of the Public Media System to favor political agendas aligned with Petro’s left-wing government.
“A preliminary investigation was opened for several complaints that were accumulated into one. Some are related to contractual matters, others to internal labor issues, and there are also complaints of alleged undue political participation,” Eljach said in a conversation with the media.
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De la Espriella responds to the ban on using the Colombian National Team jersey: “It’s a red flag”
Candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has referred in a video to the controversy after a judge ordered him not to use the Colombian National Team football jersey for electoral purposes. “It’s a red flag not to vote for people who are going to restrict freedoms and disregard citizen rights,” he said, wearing the garment in question.
“The Colombian jersey does not belong to any party, leader, or campaign. It is a symbol of unity, freedom, and national pride,” added the far-right candidate, leaving open the question of whether he will comply with the sentence imposed in the first instance by a tutela action: “We will continue to wear the Colombian jersey with joy, respect, and patriotism.”
ELECTIONS IN COLOMBIA
Juan Daniel Oviedo: “I am willing to believe Abelardo de la Espriella if he promises to protect the rights of minorities”
Former vice-presidential candidate Juan Daniel Oviedo (Bogotá, 49 years old) does not beat around the bush when asked how he is. “Good. Although, what a tremendous blow we were dealt on Sunday!” he replies. His ticket with Paloma Valencia suffered a resounding defeat in the first round: he barely obtained 6.9% of the votes, compared to 43.7% for far-right Abelardo de la Espriella and 40.9% for left-wing Iván Cepeda. The electorate turned its back on his proposal for a “union among different” — he identifies as center; she is Uribista. “Now I understand that the country is not yet ready to amalgamate a conversation between the institutional right and my ideals,” Oviedo points out.
Read the full news here.
De la Espriella’s campaign requests the revocation of the measure prohibiting him from using the Colombian national team jersey
De la Espriella’s campaign has issued a statement assuring that it will seek legal mechanisms to prevent the application of a Bogotá judge’s decision prohibiting him from using the Colombian national team jersey. “Regarding the provisional measure recently announced, Abelardo De La Espriella’s legal team has already requested its revocation and will continue to act within the corresponding institutional channels.” The far-right lawyer concluded the message with a call to his followers to continue wearing the jersey: “While this discussion is resolved in the legal arena, the citizen message is clear: no one can prohibit Colombians from feeling proud of Colombia or freely wearing their National Team’s jersey.”
The National Electoral Council concludes the scrutiny and officially declares the results of the first presidential round: “There is 99.9% coincidence between pre-count and scrutiny”
The National Electoral Council of Colombia concluded this Thursday the scrutiny process of the first round of presidential elections held last Sunday. The electoral authority determined that there is a 99.94% coincidence between the pre-count and the scrutiny, clearing up the doubts of fraud sown throughout the week by President Gustavo Petro. According to the national scrutiny, De la Espriella obtained 10,366,143 votes, about 5,000 more than in the pre-count, while Cepeda obtained 9,703,921, a little more than 20,000 additional to the pre-count. The CNE also assured that there were 0% claims.
President Gustavo Petro bids farewell to the Colombian national team before their trip to the World Cup
President Gustavo Petro and his youngest daughter Antonella Petro bid farewell this Thursday to the Colombian national football team before their trip to the 2026 World Cup. From Catam airport, the president handed the national flag to coach Néstor Lorenzo and a vueltiao hat to all the team’s players. The protocol act, which also included the president of the Colombian Football Federation, Ramón Jesurún, comes hours after a Bogotá judge ordered candidate Abelardo de la Espriella to refrain from using the national team jersey for his electoral campaign.
ELECTIONS IN COLOMBIA
Gabriel Becerra, campaign advisor to Iván Cepeda: “Having suspicions about the electoral system is not paranoia”
Gabriel Becerra Yáñez, a representative to the Chamber and one of the most prominent militants of the Colombian left, has spent weeks dividing his time between his legislative duties and the coordination of Iván Cepeda’s presidential campaign, for which he is one of the main advisors. From his office, the militant does not hide his conviction: the official candidate will win in the second round. He is convinced that the left has secured at least 2.5 million additional votes to those of the first round, which would be enough to tip the balance in his favor.
Read the story at this link.
De la Espriella talks on the phone with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella spoke this Thursday with Italian Prime Minister, also far-right, Giorgia Meloni. “I had a very fruitful and cordial telephone conversation with the President of the Government of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, to whom I expressed my firm intention to build a close cooperation relationship between Colombia and Italy, strengthening trade, security and the joint fight against organized crime,” the candidate of the Defensores de la Patria movement wrote on his Twitter account.
This dialogue comes after De la Espriella received explicit support from other right-wing leaders around the world: the President of the United States, Donald Trump; the President of Argentina, Javier Milei; and the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa.
De la Espriella thanked Meloni for the call. “A woman who has become a symbol of leadership and determination, and who has driven important transformations in a country that holds a very special place in my heart: Italy.”
Iván Cepeda: “It is time for an encounter with the political center”
The left-wing candidate reacted this way to the announcement by the constituent assembly’s promoting committee to withdraw that initiative, which had created fears among leaders and voters of the political center. In his brief intervention, a video in which he read a speech, he took the opportunity to reiterate his criticisms of his rival in the second round. “De la Espriella’s far-right political project constitutes a threat. It is a regressive and authoritarian proposal,” he said.
Colombian justice prohibits Abelardo de la Espriella from using the national team jersey for his electoral campaign
A judge in the city of Bogotá has prohibited candidate Abelardo de la Espriella from using the Colombian national football team jersey for his electoral campaign. According to the document revealed by the newspaper El Tiempo, Judge Aura Luz Forero, of the 120th Municipal Criminal Court with Knowledge Function of Bogotá, ordered the far-right candidate and his party to refrain from using or displaying the official national team jersey “in campaign activities, social networks, media, and other dissemination spaces related to the second presidential round.” The decision comes in response to a tutela action filed by Wilman Ramiro Bocanegra.
Sergio Fajardo celebrates that the Government has withdrawn the Constituent Assembly proposal: “I think it’s excellent that they don’t do it”
Sergio Fajardo celebrated this Thursday morning the decision of Gustavo Petro’s government to withdraw the proposal for a national constituent assembly. In an interview with Blu Radio, the former mayor of Medellín, who obtained one million votes in the last presidential elections, assured that he finds it “excellent” not to insist on the constituent assembly. “From day one I said that this proposal was a call to war. We created a group, a plebiscite, that would not allow the 1991 Constitution to be modified in the next two periods. I think it’s great that they don’t do it.”
ELECTIONS IN COLOMBIA
Petro gives in to his obstinacy and discards the idea of convening a Constituent Assembly
President Gustavo Petro, also known for being an obstinate politician, has finally given in. This Thursday morning, the promoting committee for a National Constituent Assembly, pushed by the Colombian president, is set to announce that it has discarded the idea of convening this mechanism to reform the Constitution, in force since 1991. The plan, which the head of state has insisted on for much of his presidential term, had aroused both criticism from most of the political class and fears among citizens. Faced with the possibility of inheriting these fears and making it difficult to gain support for his party’s presidential candidate, Senator Iván Cepeda, Petro has chosen to abandon his plan, as confirmed by EL PAÍS, in a move that could change the electoral landscape in Colombia 17 days before the definitive elections.
Petro crosses Uribe for saying that the armed forces can prevent a disregard of the results
President Gustavo Petro has reacted on X to a radio interview in which Álvaro Uribe stated that the Armed Forces can confront an eventual disregard of electoral results by the Government. “Mr. Uribe, you can support whoever you want, but the institutions of the public force must be respected. You no longer have the troops or the police officers who today earn a decent and vital salary and not the alms and hunger you gave them. I give them dignity in life and you led them to false positives and to walk with narcoparacos,” the left-wing president declared on X. He also rejected Uribe’s accusations that he intervened in the campaign to support Iván Cepeda. “You were re-elected with fraud and want to perpetuate yourself with your old friend [Abelardo de la Espriella]. I separate myself from power and only want whoever governs to deepen life in Colombia and make more social reforms in favor of the people.”
Uribe had expressed earlier on La Fm that institutional safeguards exist in case the Government disregards the election results, a concern that arose from Petro’s statements on the night of the first round and has intensified with his fraud allegations in recent days. “We have Colombian institutions, the courts, the armed forces, the people,” the former president remarked. Afterwards, he lashed out at Petro: “He thought he was going to control these elections, violating the Constitution and the law. It’s a disgrace. He campaigned throughout the country, spending money to bring demonstrators to his meetings.” He also asked the Armed Forces to “do their duty” in the face of a possible social outburst. “Do not allow this incitement to destroy the country,” he said.
Abelardo de la Espriella lashes out at the Liberal Party: “I will not accept any support from an appendage of Petro”
Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has lashed out at the Liberal Party. “It is an appendage of Petro and Cepeda, 75% of its seats are co-opted by the corrupt regime and the other 25% has done nothing to prevent it. I will not accept any support from that party: extreme coherence. The grassroots are welcome to the pack,” he said on X.
The Liberal Party has not yet defined a position for the second round. This contrasts with the Conservative Party and the Party of the U, the other two major traditional parties, which have expressed their support for De la Espriella. The leader of the Liberal Party, César Gaviria, has been a strong critic of Gustavo Petro’s government in recent years, but he does not control a significant part of his party, which has supported the Executive’s social reforms.
Representative Juan Carlos Losada, one of the liberal dissidents to Gaviria, expressed his support for Cepeda this Wednesday. “Never for a misogynist, homophobe, and animal abuser,” he commented on X. The left-wing candidate thanked him on X: “Dear Juan Carlos, thank you for this lesson in dignity at a decisive historical moment. A hug.”
Claudia López to her followers: “I’m not endorsing anyone”
Claudia López has avoided supporting Iván Cepeda or Abelardo de la Espriella for the second presidential round. “Voters are completely free (…). So I’m not endorsing anyone’s vote. I only have my vote, my ID. Neither of them is my project,” she commented in a live conversation with her followers on social media. She showed alignment with Sergio Fajardo and Juan Daniel Oviedo, who earlier expressed similar positions. “I haven’t spoken with Juan Daniel or Sergio, but that’s the message we share. No one here should think we’re going to rush. No: wisdom, serenity, firmness in convictions.”
The former presidential candidate also indicated that she hopes both candidates will moderate their positions in the coming weeks. “It’s a close campaign, no one has it won, no one. What we have to do is wisely use the power of our ID, our vote, our independent voice, so that both have to moderate their own barbarities, errors, and risks,” she declared.
However, despite her refusal of formal support, she reiterated her completely opposite opinions on the ethical values of each candidate. “There is a difference in character. Iván is a decent man, Abelardo de la Espriella is not,” she said. She explained that she was Cepeda’s colleague in the Senate, that she has known him for at least 30 years, and that she knows he is a “decent” person. “He has refused to have the corrupt members of the Government in his campaign, and that speaks very well of him. He has taken an electoral cost, without compromising his principles. When he says he wants to make an ethical pact, I believe him. Because that’s how his life has been and that’s how his campaign has been,” she commented. She said the opposite about De la Espriella: “I have a deep distrust of what he is and represents.”
López hinted that she would vote for Cepeda if he makes changes in the coming weeks. “Those who should be telling the country something new, different, and concrete are Cepeda and his party. And they are not doing it. Let them do it, that’s what is needed,” she emphasized, while also stressing that she is not “in a hurry” to define herself. She said that one can vote blank, which is an option “of protest, of control, genuine, respectable.”
Pollsters will be able to measure voting intention again more than three months before candidate registration
The Constitutional Court has struck down a part of the polling law that last year imposed new restrictions on conducting opinion polls. It declared unconstitutional a section that prohibited measuring voting intention when there were still more than three months left for candidate registration, something that usually happens four months before the elections. The plaintiff had stated in his reasoning that the measure violated the right to information.
The high court also struck down two provisions on the data that pollsters must provide to the electoral authority. One of them is the obligation to provide the computational codes to create the samples and allow them to be replicated. The other is the delivery of the telephone numbers of participants in remote surveys. For the plaintiff, this violated habeas data and privacy rights, as it allowed for the re-identification of participants.
The Plenary Chamber made these decisions with eight votes in favor and one against. Likewise, it declined to issue a substantive ruling on another lawsuit that sought the unconstitutionality of the entire law, considering that the justification was insufficient.
Abelardo de la Espriella winks at Elon Musk: “I will propose what Colombia can offer for the development of his technological revolution”
Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has winked at tech magnate Elon Musk on social media. “I will propose a connectivity alliance and that he get to know Colombia and what it can offer for the development of his technological revolution,” he commented on X regarding the world’s richest man, who was a close friend of Donald Trump before a falling out last year.
De la Espriella has proposed an alliance with SpaceX to bring internet to rural areas through its satellite connection service, Starlink. “Elon Musk has been a world leader in combating poverty by connecting people online in any corner of the world; the 21st century cannot begin to be lived without connection for all Colombians,” the candidate said.
Starlink is capable of bringing connectivity to rural areas hundreds of kilometers away from terrestrial cable infrastructure or Wi-Fi repeater towers thanks to its network of more than 6,000 satellites. However, its business model, with few local employees and scarce infrastructure investments in the countries where it operates, and certain aggressive business practices, such as sudden price increases, overshadow the positive returns its expansion has garnered.
Aida Quilcué agrees to participate in a live broadcast with influencer Westcol: “Thank you for your interest in learning about the worldview of our peoples”
Iván Cepeda’s campaign is trying to make a shift in its strategy for the second round. After months of limiting exposure in interviews with media or influencers, vice-presidential candidate and indigenous leader Aida Quilcué has agreed to participate in a live broadcast with Westcol, a content creator with more than 6.5 million followers on Instagram. “We will do the stream. Thank you for your interest in learning about our culture and the worldview of our peoples. I am sure that Colombia will be able to discover, through your channels, the origins of our society.”
The candidate, who is also a senator, commented that she made the decision after consulting with the spiritual elders of her community. “As it is a sacred territory, this is not a decision that only concerns me; it is a collective determination that must be made with respect, responsibility, and in harmony, beyond any conjuncture or political campaign. Westcol, you are welcome to our community.”
Iván Cepeda encourages young people in Bogotá: “We are going to defeat the project of death that Abelardo de la Espriella represents”
Left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda addresses hundreds of young people who mobilized to support him at the doors of the Tequendama Hotel, in the center of Bogotá. “We are going to defeat the project of death that Abelardo de la Espriella represents,” he encourages them. “You are the face of hope in this country, the face of life, creativity, courage, and dignity.” “Without its young people, Colombia cannot be a dignified, democratic, equitable, and just nation. That is why, with you, we are going to achieve it on June 21.”
“Together with my running mate, the first indigenous woman, we will bring 107 projects to young people in rural areas,” exclaims the senator. He promises to create new universities, strengthen financial aid for studying, develop housing projects with accessible credits, and maintain the salary increase for apprentices of the National Learning Service (SENA). “What does Mr. De la Espriella offer young people?” he questions.
The demonstrators also encourage the candidate. “He lives, he feels, Cepeda president,” they shout. “Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!” They also express their rejection of De la Espriella. “No to the cat killer,” they say, referring to the fact that the far-right politician once confessed on television that as a child he tied cats to firecrackers to watch them explode.
Justice concludes the scrutiny of the first round
Justice has concluded 100% of the scrutiny of the first presidential round, as reported by the Registrar’s Office in a statement. “The claims presented did not exceed 0.7% of the nearly 122,000 polling stations installed throughout Colombia. This means that a very good count was carried out at each polling station by the voting jurors, that the pre-count was consolidated efficiently, and that the scrutiny was carried out with great judgment and rigor,” highlighted the registrar, Hernán Penagos.
The figures for each candidate are not yet known. As the Registrar’s Office explains to this newspaper, the completion of the scrutiny implies that the three instances of the scrutinizing commissions —auxiliary, municipal, departmental— have been exhausted and that the process has now passed to the National Electoral Council (CNE). This body is responsible for officially declaring the election of the two candidates who advanced to the second round and providing the definitive figures for the first round. This is expected to happen on Thursday.
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