Colombia returns to the polls this Sunday to choose, amid a climate of deep polarization, the successor to President Gustavo Petro. The polls opened promptly at eight in the morning. Just over 41 million people are eligible to vote across the country, where abstention rates tend to be high. The left enters the elections united around the figure of its candidate, Senator Iván Cepeda. The right appears divided between the more traditional faction, represented by Uribista Senator Paloma Valencia, and the populist aspiration of lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella. The three candidates are those who, according to polls, have the greatest chance of advancing to a second round in three weeks.
The candidates were active and exposed until the last hour on Saturday, each with interviews and talks broadcast on social media. Cepeda spoke with journalist Daniel Coronell for an hour and a half. “It is necessary, within capitalism, to move to a socially equitable model,” said the senator. Meanwhile, Valencia and De la Espriella chose influencers to converse with: the Uribista candidate did so with Yeferson Cossio, MrStivenTC, Cintia Cossio, and Carolina Gómez, while the far-right lawyer met with Westcol.
Two and a half hours of De la Espriella with Westcol
The interview lasted two and a half hours and had additional protagonists: the Rappi delivery person who brought a hamburger for dinner; the candidate’s teenage daughter with four friends, who danced with Westcol; his little daughter. On Kick alone, the video has 1.4 million views, which will grow over time.
Cepeda: “I hope for a relationship of dialogue and respect with the United States”
The first hour of the interview between Iván Cepeda and Daniel Coronell covered several relevant topics: security, health, and the business sector. The relationship with the United States was also central to the conversation. “I hope for a relationship of dialogue, respect, cooperation, and frank discussion, as the Gustavo Petro government had.” Cepeda assured that anti-drug cooperation agreements and trade agreements will continue. “Hopefully to negotiate and renegotiate them. For that to happen, two people are needed,” he warned.
Cepeda: “We will be relentless with corruption”
Asked about corruption in the Petro government, Cepeda recalled the appointment of Iván Velásquez, former Minister of Defense, as part of his cabinet in case of an eventual presidency. “It will not be a bureaucratic apparatus. It will not be lenient,” he said. “Wherever it comes from and whoever falls, we will be relentless [with corruption]. If there is no austerity, the path of corruption is easier.”
De la Espriella promises more wealth and more weapons
Towards the end of the interview, De la Espriella referred to the government of Gustavo Petro and candidate Iván Cepeda: “With Cepeda your companies will close, with my government they will be worth five times more,” he told Westcol. De la Espriella, in the end, assured that people who “demonstrate physical and psychological fitness will be able to carry a weapon in the tiger era.”
Cepeda: “It is necessary, within capitalism, to move to a productive and diverse model”
Daniel Coronell insisted on the candidate’s closeness to the Latin American left, mainly with Venezuela and Cuba. “Venezuela cultivated an economic model under the government of Chávez and Maduro centered on what Colombia tried to change: an unproductive economy that only revolves around oil extraction,” he warned after recalling that it was in Havana where the country’s peace agreements were signed a decade ago. “An expression of capitalism, the neoliberal model, has had a historical limit. It is necessary, within capitalism, to move to a productive, diverse, and socially equitable model,” he insisted.
Cepeda: “There is stubbornness in not wanting to listen to what I say and represent”
Initially asked about the fear of “some voters” regarding his political positions, Iván Cepeda was very clear insisting on his democratic view, in a conversation with journalist Daniel Coronell. “That idea that today we are facing communism and a pure and transparent democratic vision is a lie that needs to be dispelled,” he concluded. “There is stubbornness in not wanting to listen to what I say and represent.”
Daniel Coronell interviews Iván Cepeda a few hours before the elections
12 hours before the polls open in the first round of Colombia’s presidential elections, the left-wing candidate, Iván Cepeda, gives an interview. The chosen interviewer is the seasoned journalist Daniel Coronell, who the day before interviewed the centrist candidate Sergio Fajardo. The interview takes place while the potential rivals of the left-wing senator in the second round, the far-right De la Espriella and the Uribista Paloma Valencia, meet with influencers in a strategy more directed at social networks and younger generations.
De la Espriella promises to retire from politics after his four-year term, if he wins
The far-right candidate commits before more than 255,000 viewers on Kick alone: he states that if he wins the presidency, he will govern for four years and then retire forever from political life. “With me, there will be secure elections. I will respect. I will not call for a constituent assembly.” De la Espriella clarified that he will not leave Colombia, “If for some reason I lose against Cepeda, I will be the head of the opposition, I would never leave Colombia.”
Former President Álvaro Uribe video calls one of the influencers during the streaming with Paloma
After almost three hours of conversation, and while Paloma Valencia addressed the topic of health in the country, former President Álvaro Uribe video called Yeferson Cossio to congratulate them on the program. “Every time you talk with her, you learn a lot,” he said in a relaxed tone, far from the stiff and rehearsed conversation of the influencers. The former president joked that he was not invited to the talk and celebrated that they were addressing “youth interest” topics just hours before the presidential elections. “Presi, great to see you, man!” they exclaimed excitedly.
Westcol shows disbelief at De la Espriella’s flagship proposal to build 10 mega-prisons
“Ten mega-prisons sounds like the proposal of a local official,” says Westcol, calling it an unrealistic proposal, which annoys Abelardo. “We will look for ten private companies to build the ten mega-prisons,” offering that the companies then manage them. “Most people who say things don’t apply when it comes to being presidents,” insists Westcol.
Paloma Valencia: “I will make you feel the iron hand of the Colombian woman”
“[To the guerrillas] we will hunt them down. Let the ELN or that Gaitanist Army see me. I will make you feel the iron hand of the Colombian woman,” she assured without hesitation before more than 60,000 people connected on Kick. Valencia promised to militarize the country’s streets “so that I can go to Popayán peacefully.” The candidate also supported legal gun carrying with easier licenses to obtain. Yeferson Cossio asked if it bothered her that Colombians labeled her “lukewarm” for not having “a belligerent discourse like another candidate.” Valencia indirectly attacked Abelardo de la Espriella, who was simultaneously in a streaming with Westcol: “I have not changed my opinion. There are others who five years ago said one thing and now another.”
De la Espriella explains that works-for-taxes and the fight against corruption would finance 10 mega-prisons
De la Espriella insists on two of his most populist proposals: “We will build 10 mega-prisons for bandits and 10 mega-care centers for addicts,” he says, clearly echoing Salvadoran Nayib Bukele. Asked how to finance these works, he answers: “There are 120 trillion in tax exemptions, 90 trillion in corruption. If you don’t let them steal the money, it’s enough for everything. I will propose works-for-taxes.”
Paloma: “We want to remove the Ministry of Equality and thus pay the SOAT”
The Uribista senator ties two proposals into one idea, attractive to many: “We want to remove the Ministry of Equality and instead pay the SOAT,” she has said. The institution has an expiration date in a few months by decision of the Constitutional Court, unless a law that the government delayed presenting and faces opposition in the legislature passes. And the fight against the mandatory traffic accident insurance or SOAT has mobilized organized groups of motorcyclists, a sector of growing importance in the middle classes.
De la Espriella: “I have never tried a single drug in my life”
The far-right candidate assures that he has never consumed drugs, a contrast he insists on several times in his interview with Westcol. “I have never tried a single drug in my life, the strongest thing I have taken is a dolex,” he said. Westcol, in contrast, said he smoked marijuana for a long time. But the contrast is key for the Uribista, as the right-wing voter criticized that the vice-presidential formula of Uribista Paloma Valencia, Juan Daniel Oviedo, confessed in an interview that he has tried many drugs, explaining that recreational and occasional use does not always imply addiction.
Paloma Valencia explains her education proposal
Education was also a central topic in the Uribista senator’s talk with the four influencers. Stiven embarrassingly said he “had to” study in public school and that he is clear it will not be the same for his children. Valencia nodded convinced of the decision and defended the idea of promoting “artificial intelligence tutors” to improve training. “Public school prices are expensive, but people don’t know it. I like public education, but I like the ability to choose. Why can’t a person from stratum 0 choose?” she questioned. “I am not an enemy of the public, I am a friend of the mixed.”
De la Espriella: “I am a true costeño, Petro is a fake costeño”
Wescol, the streamer, asks the far-right candidate about various elements in his office. Abelardo de la Espriella focuses on a painting, that of a farofa, one of the popular figures of the carnival of the city, Barranquilla. He points out that President Gustavo Petro questioned the image, not understanding that symbolism and interpreting it as a slave. “I am a true costeño, Petro is a fake costeño,” said the penalist, explaining that any Colombian from the Caribbean would recognize the figure.
Abelardo: “This is not a candidacy, this is a popular movement”
“When you speak from the heart to the people, you connect with the people,” the far-right candidate tells Westcol, who asks about the origin of his nickname, El Tigre. De la Espriella points out that it comes from how those who support him started referring to him. “This is not a candidacy, this is a popular movement.”
Wescol’s streaming with Abelardo de la Espriella begins
Wescol, the popular streamer who in recent weeks has interviewed President Gustavo Petro at the Casa de Nariño and former President Álvaro Uribe at his home in Rionegro, starts his live broadcast from Barranquilla. He speaks from the entrance of the house where he will interview Abelardo de La Espriella. “Monster, welcome,” says the far-right candidate before hugging him in the lobby of his office. “My main headquarters,” he says.
Paloma Valencia talks about being a mom and a candidate at the same time
In her talk with the influencers, the Uribista senator said that motherhood as a presidential candidate is very complex. “The other day I arrived and Amapola [her daughter] was crying. And she told me: I don’t want to be in this family. You chose this, but I don’t want my life to change,” and explained after assuring that her perspective changed after the assassination of Miguel Uribe Turbay. “My chubby, in a family you make efforts for some and then for others. That’s how families work.”
Paloma Valencia asks influencers about their childhood and launches proposals on informality
Valencia took advantage of the life stories of the influencers to bring the conversation about the precariousness of Colombian women, who have a wage gap in Colombia of 16%. Thus, she was able to talk about her proposals to fight informality. “If your mother had been associated, she could have achieved economies of scale. It’s horrible, but women have no possibility of pension savings. Mothers save everything and one has to support them from the government so they can organize. Little by little, they change people’s lives. I think a lot about mothers who work informally,” she said.
Paloma Valencia warns about possible vote buying “to favor continuity projects of the current government”
Senator Paloma Valencia’s campaign warned on Saturday afternoon about possible vote buying in the upcoming elections. “I have received worrying information from different regions of the country about possible vote buying operations and other irregular practices aimed at affecting the transparency of this Sunday’s electoral day,” reads a press release from Valencia’s campaign. The Uribista candidate insists that, although it is up to the authorities to verify these reports, the seriousness of them obliges them to alert public opinion. “We are concerned that political interests try to distort the free will of citizens to favor continuity projects of the current government.”
Valencia made an urgent call to all authorities to strengthen surveillance over the process and promptly address complaints and act with the full force of the law against any attempt at vote buying. “Colombia deserves free, transparent elections respected by all. Democracy cannot be hijacked by electoral corruption nor by those who believe power can be maintained through illegal practices.”
Paloma Valencia: “Poverty in Colombia has a woman’s face”
“Poverty in Colombia does have a woman’s face,” says Paloma Valencia in her talk with the influencers. “Usually, she is left alone with the children, she is not hired, she is mistreated at home… The life of a Colombian woman is hard,” Carolina Gómez and Cintia Cossio look at her with admiration. The message is clear: gender matters and is a reason to vote, especially when there are a series of proposals behind it, as the four streamers have recalled.
Without evidence, Álvaro Uribe accuses Iván Cepeda of belonging to the FARC
Hours before the presidential elections begin, right-wing former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez has accused without evidence candidate Iván Cepeda Castro of belonging to the former FARC guerrilla. “Cepeda invites all businessmen to support him, but his political life in the FARC, in Castroism, and in Chavismo has been about creating class hatred. Comrades know about electoral hypocrisy, don’t believe them, remember Chávez’s promises.” Uribe’s accusation, who has become the chief debater for candidate Paloma Valencia, comes after Cepeda announced on Saturday his intention to dialogue with the country’s businessmen to reach agreements.
“I can lose the elections, but it is painful that a baby is included to discredit a person”: Santiago Botero responds to the domestic violence complaint against him
Presidential candidate Santiago Botero, who has less than 2% voting intention according to all polls, has issued a statement about the domestic violence complaint filed by his wife Manuela Echeverri against him, which led a Family Commissary to evict him from his apartment early this morning. “I have no problem with my ex-partner because she is an excellent woman, but I know she is being used by candidates for whom this type of scandal serves, like Abelardo and the dirty right of this country,” he said on his social media.
The candidate, who says he is “the surprise of this May 31,” is not even among the top 10 with the most chances to reach the Casa de Nariño. But his name has grabbed the media’s attention due to his particular campaign slogan, which promises to “break the system” and “lead for the corrupt.” On Saturday morning, however, a Family Commissary in Cartagena evicted him from his apartment after his wife reported that he did not allow her or their 10-month-old baby to enter the house.
The woman had reported Botero more than a month ago for domestic violence. In one of the videos revealed on social media, the presidential candidate is heard threatening “lead” to one of the officers carrying out the procedure against him. “I have acted responsibly about every act and every word, not to please a person but to fulfill God, who sees everything,” he said in the statement.
The Democratic Center candidate, Paloma Valencia (center), accompanied by politician Ingrid Betancourt (right), visits the Basilica of May 20th on Saturday, May 30, in Bogotá. / Paloma Valencia Campaign
Paloma Valencia, accompanied by Ingrid Betancourt, entrusts her campaign to the Child Jesus
In the message, Valencia reprises her main proposals: recovering security, the health system, and achieving a fraternal economy. Following the tone of the final phase of her campaign, she has also taken the opportunity to subtly criticize the candidate with whom she competes for right-wing votes, Abelardo de la Espriella. “Today we have two paths: the paths of spectacle, show, hatred, and the path of a Colombia where Colombians win.” And she concludes: “Between decency and opportunism, you must always choose decency.”
Cepeda speaks to the country one day before the elections: “Colombia’s future is in the hands of its people”
Presidential candidate Iván Cepeda made a statement this Saturday, one day before the polls open in Colombia. With his characteristic calm tone, standing in front of a lectern and in an image that seemed more like a presidential address than an announcement, the candidate gave a message of thanks and campaign closure. “Dear compatriots, I address you with just a few hours left before the polls open and the people exercise one of their most fundamental rights: to freely decide their destiny.”
The message, which lasted just over 10 minutes, recounted his campaign, thanked his team, and emphasized his proposals to reach the Casa de Nariño. “To the soldiers and police, I want to say that we will maintain and strengthen the advances achieved in salary, benefits, and pensions. We will continue strengthening security in the territories and institutional capacities to guarantee citizens’ peace,” he said.
With a more triumphant air, Cepeda assured that he will govern for all Colombians and sent a message to the opposition. “I will watch over the rights of every person and the strict compliance with the Constitution and the Law.
The opposition will have full democratic guarantees, and from this moment I extend to its leaders a sincere invitation to respectful and constructive dialogue to advance a great national agreement.”
The bet on a national agreement has been the north of his campaign, along with other pillars such as the fight against corruption. This week he announced former Defense Minister Iván Velásquez as the person who, in an eventual government of his, would lead the Anti-Corruption Plan he has explained in all his speeches and interviews.
As a closing message, he assured that Colombia has a date with history tomorrow. “I invite you to vote for the future, for the elimination of poverty and inequality; the protection of our natural wealth; for a modern, productive, and diversified economy (…) Colombia’s future is in the hands of its people.” Without attacks or stridency, and with his usual serenity, Cepeda closed with an invitation to freely participate in the elections.
The registrar confirms that the electoral material has arrived in all municipalities of Colombia
National registrar Hernán Penagos has reported that the transfer of electoral material to the country’s 1,103 municipalities has been completed. During this Saturday, the transfer to polling stations in rural areas such as hamlets, townships, and populated centers will be finished.
According to Penagos, so far no incidents have been reported that have implied the relocation of any polling station for security or logistical reasons. “We continue monitoring minute by minute the transfer of electoral material, the installation of electoral kits, and ensuring that we have no difficulties so that tomorrow, at eight in the morning, the more than 122,000 polling tables are installed without setbacks.”
Sergio Fajardo also closes his campaign on social media
Candidate Sergio Fajardo has also decided to close his campaign on social media. On the last afternoon before the elections, the former mayor of Medellín made a live video on his TikTok account in which he talked with his followers. According to the campaign, in this last session Fajardo spoke with more than 214,000 people. Paloma Valencia will have a stream with several influencers. Abelardo de la Espriella will be in an interview with Westcol. Iván Cepeda will talk with journalist Daniel Coronell.
Paloma Valencia closes her campaign in an interview with Yeferson Cossio, Mr Stiven, and other influencers
Paloma Valencia meets with four influencers: Yeferson Cossio, MrStivenTC (Stiven Tangarife), Cintia Cossio, and Carolina Gómez. In a white room, with four portraits of models, they received the Uribista senator after 5:00 pm, after clarifying that it was not an event to convince people to vote for her. “Just vote, that is imperative,” said Cossio at the start of the talk. “I, damn it, since I publicly say I support you, they are throwing shade at me…,” he adds. “
The meeting takes place on the candidate’s official YouTube account and on the Kick channels of the four influencers. Together, they have more than 30 million followers on their social media. Thousands shared their messages of support live. However, many ‘abelardistas’ also joined the live stream, recalling the meeting of the far-right Abelardo de la Espriella and Westcol, one hour after Valencia’s started. “I am Uribista but I vote Abelardo to defeat Petro and his heir for Colombia”; “Paloma’s streams always have few connected, you are the minority. Join, please. Be patriotic, don’t be so traitorous.”
More information: Paloma Valencia meets with four influencers 15 hours before the start of the elections
Read more Italian Grand Prix live | Marco Bezzecchi wins in Mugello
