Tensions between presidential candidates continue to intensify. Amid clashes in Congress involving left-wing and right-wing candidates, Iván Cepeda and Paloma Valencia, the Democratic Center candidate claimed that armed actors were coercing the population in rural areas to vote for him. Cepeda challenged her and asked for proof, to which Valencia asserted that she was basing her claims on reports made by the Ombudsman’s Office. The ombudswoman, Iris Marín, however, has come out to deny having made such a statement: “The entity has not published any report or communiqué that accounts for alleged coercion by armed groups against voters and in favor of candidate Iván Cepeda, nor does it have any information to support it,” she clarified through a video and a written statement.
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Meanwhile, center presidential candidate Sergio Fajardo has also questioned Cepeda, who is leading in the polls, after the latter excluded him from a debate invitation. “If the debate proceeds with censorship and exclusions, it will be a farce, a scenario for polarization and fracture. Colombia is much more than a confrontation between Petrismo and Uribismo, between Petrismo and anti-Petrismo,” he declared in a statement, referring to the Petrista candidate’s proposal to debate only with the ultra Abelardo de la Espriella and the Uribista Paloma Valencia.
The Ombudsman denies having published a report on alleged coercion by armed groups to vote for Cepeda
The Ombudsman, Iris Marín, has refuted right-wing presidential candidate Paloma Valencia, who had claimed in the Senate plenary that the official had reported coercion of voters in favor of Iván Cepeda. “The entity has not published any report or communiqué that accounts for alleged coercion by armed groups against voters and in favor of candidate Iván Cepeda, nor does it have any information to support it,” Marín clarified through a video and a written statement.
Valencia made this assertion after the official candidate, Iván Cepeda, demanded that she present proof of the coercion she was denouncing. In one of the heated discussions both candidates have held in Congress, which has become the space for deliberation – given the absence of debates in public forums or media – the Democratic Center candidate again sowed doubts regarding her opponent’s campaign.
The Ombudsman’s Office requested respect for the entity and clarified that all communications and reports it has issued regarding the electoral process in Colombia “are aimed at ensuring democracy, the quality of the debate, the elimination of political violence in Colombia, and also eliminating disinformation and stigmatization.”
Fajardo criticizes Cepeda for excluding him from his debate invitation: “It would be a farce”
Center presidential candidate Sergio Fajardo has criticized leftist Iván Cepeda, who is leading in the polls, after the latter excluded him from a debate invitation. “If the debate proceeds with censorship and exclusions, it will be a farce, a scenario for polarization and fracture. Colombia is much more than a confrontation between Petrismo and Uribismo, between Petrismo and anti-Petrismo,” he declared in a statement, referring to the Petrista candidate’s proposal to debate only with the ultra Abelardo de la Espriella and the Uribista Paloma Valencia. Fajardo welcomed Cepeda’s willingness to debate now, but pointed out that it is “not acceptable” for him to seek to do so “with censorship of topics or exclusions of political options.” “That would not be a debate; it would be a trap and a deception. And no other candidacy should enter that game,” he noted.
Fajardo has indicated that participation in debates can be decisive in elections. “There are millions of undecided voters among the options presented and millions of Colombians who usually abstain, and a quality debate could bring them together. As well as hundreds of thousands of first-time voters. All of them need debates,” he commented. He insisted that Cepeda cannot curtail his chances of reaching these undecided voters with his center proposal: “Debates are not organized by candidates at their whim, convenience, or discretion. They are organized by the media and/or with the collaboration of electoral authorities.”
Printing of ballots for the first presidential round begins
The National Registry, the governing body for elections in Colombia, begins printing ballots this Tuesday for the first round of presidential elections, scheduled for May 31. The start of printing is due to the need to have them ready to arrive on time at consulates and embassies in Colombia worldwide, which serve as polling stations abroad. In total, there will be boxes for 13 candidates, plus one for a blank vote. If any aspirant decides to withdraw from the race, their photo will still appear on the ballot, and if there were votes for that candidacy, they would not be counted. The first box is occupied by the official candidate, Iván Cepeda, and his vice-presidential running mate, Aída Quilcué. Next to that box will be an empty space, which was initially occupied by former candidate Clara López, who withdrew her aspiration to join Cepeda’s campaign. Far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella has his box on the left margin of the second row, while the Uribista candidate, Paloma Valencia, is on the right margin of the third row.
Abelardo de la Espriella only considers debating with the frontrunners
Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella stated this Monday that he is only willing to attend debates with rivals who are leading in the polls, after leftist senator Iván Cepeda, the leader in all opinion studies, challenged him and Paloma Valencia to a thorough debate over the weekend. The two right-wing aspirants alternate in second place, with centrist Sergio Fajardo in fourth. “Here, it’s between the heir of the FARC and the regime, who is Mr. Cepeda, Dr. Paloma Valencia, Dr. Fajardo, and myself. Anything below that makes no sense,” the ultra told Blu Radio. A dozen candidates remain in the race for the first round on May 31. Both Cepeda and De la Espriella have so far been absent from debates, with different arguments. The other center aspirant, Claudia López, reacted to the criminal lawyer’s statements. “Abelardo de la Espriella is so afraid of me that the only condition he sets for debating is that I be excluded,” the former mayor of Bogotá wrote on her social media.
Paloma Valencia accepts Iván Cepeda’s debate proposal: “I’m ready, even if he wants to rig it”
The Democratic Center presidential candidate, Paloma Valencia, has accepted the debate proposed by the official aspirant, Iván Cepeda, this Monday. “More than 40 hours have passed since Iván Cepeda’s debate challenge, and he still hasn’t named the representatives. We are ready to hold the debate, even if he wants to arrange and rig it to his advantage,” said the Uribista candidate. Valencia also stated that Cepeda must explain to the country his positions on the main social issues that concern it. “After that debate, people will notice that Cepeda is not Petro and that the fight for democracy is not against a left, but against a neo-communism that could end democracy in Colombia,” she concluded.
Defense Minister offers reward to prevent attacks against presidential candidates
The Minister of Defense, retired General Pedro Sánchez, reiterated this Sunday that the Government is offering a reward of up to 1,000 million pesos (about 270,000 dollars) for information that allows authorities to prevent any attack against presidential candidates.
“All presidential candidates are susceptible to threats. We will spare no effort to protect them and guarantee their security,” Minister Sánchez wrote on his social media. He also referred, in particular, to the threats against Senator Iván Cepeda, the aspirant from the official Historical Pact, denounced by President Gustavo Petro. “A state intelligence agency, external to the Ministry of Defense, confirmed to me that it has already provided the United States with the available information for its assessment and support,” Sánchez added. He had previously clarified that the CIA had no information on the matter, as President Petro initially stated.
Paloma Valencia and Abelardo de la Espriella accept Iván Cepeda’s debate challenge: “At least he lost his fear”
Both right-wing senator Paloma Valencia and far-right Abelardo de la Espriella have accepted the challenge from fellow senator Iván Cepeda, of the leftist Historical Pact, the leader in all polls, to debate and contrast their proposals. “At least Cepeda lost his fear; we have summoned him to debates several times, but he preferred to hide,” Valencia said. “We are ready for the debate, with an independent moderator and on a channel where all Colombians can watch and compare,” added the Democratic Center candidate, the party founded by former president Álvaro Uribe. De la Espriella also accepted the challenge. “I am ready: I invite all Colombian media to organize whatever is necessary, since the polls told the coward Cepeda that he cannot keep hiding,” the criminal lawyer assured.
Fajardo responds to Cepeda’s debate challenge: “I am ready”
Sergio Fajardo, the presidential candidate of the political center, immediately responded this Saturday to the statements by Senator Iván Cepeda, leader in the polls, in which he showed himself willing to debate. “Colombia does not need comfortable silences; it needs direct debate,” wrote the former mayor of Medellín, whom Cepeda ignored in his speech, as he only referred to the two right-wing aspirants: Paloma Valencia and Abelardo de la Espriella. “Does that call also include those of us who are not the continuity of the Petro–Uribe polarization?” Fajardo asked in his message.
Iván Cepeda opens up to debate with Paloma Valencia and Abelardo de la Espriella
Senator Iván Cepeda, the Colombian left-wing presidential candidate and poll favorite, showed himself willing this Saturday to debate directly with both Paloma Valencia and Abelardo de la Espriella, a shift after several months in which his campaign has prioritized public square speeches. “I challenge the far-right, its two candidacies, Senator Paloma Valencia and lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, to debate on substantive proposals, visions for the country, and models of development and social equity,” said Cepeda, the Historical Pact aspirant, from Sumapaz, at an event where he was accompanied by both former liberal minister Juan Fernando Cristo and Green Alliance party senator Ariel Ávila, his most recent endorsements as part of the Alliance for Life. “The time has come for us to move from the comfortable exercise that candidate Valencia and candidate De la Espriella have practiced of slandering, insulting, and attacking, to debating in depth,” promised Cepeda, who until now has not attended debates between candidates and was absent this week from the governors’ summit organized by the Federation of Departments. The Historical Pact aspirant warned, however, that debates must meet previously agreed-upon conditions. “I will not lend myself to the politics of spectacle. The conditions, agenda, moderators, and setting will be rigorously agreed upon,” he reiterated.
A court orders Abelardo de la Espriella to rectify false information about Juan Fernando Cristo
Former minister Juan Fernando Cristo has announced through his social media the decision made by the 18th Civil Circuit Court of Bogotá, which determined that presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella lied about information disseminated to the media regarding him, in which he was linked to the husband of fellow presidential candidate Sondra Macollins.
According to Cristo, who declined his presidential candidacy for the first round and later joined Iván Cepeda’s campaign, lawyer De la Espriella “lied in public statements.” According to the court’s decision, the rectification must be made through the same media outlets where he made the affirmation, or in a video addressed to public opinion.
Paloma Valencia and Sergio Fajardo ask Cepeda to speak out against Petro’s intervention in the elections
Two presidential candidates from the right and political center, Paloma Valencia and Sergio Fajardo, responded to an announcement by the left-wing candidate, Iván Cepeda, in which he rejected a vice-minister’s undue political intervention. “I celebrate that he rejects this fact,” Fajardo told him. “But the criticisms of his campaign are not only due to this particular case, but to the blatant way in which President Gustavo Petro and the government are campaigning for him,” he added. “Will he speak out about this or remain silent?”
The right-wing candidate added a critical message in the same vein. “You fool no one, Senator Ivan Cepeda. You have the entire government, starting with the President of the Republic, at the service of your campaign.”
Former President Álvaro Uribe claims ELN guerrilla threatened his candidate, Paloma Valencia
Amid fears of threats, former president Álvaro Uribe claims that his protégé, presidential candidate Paloma Valencia, has received threats from the ELN guerrilla. “The leaders Pablito Arauca and Antonio García are directly responsible for an assassination attempt against Paloma Valencia,” Uribe says. The former president also asserts that in that guerrilla group, they “give the order to vote for Iván Cepeda to impose him as president in the first round.”
So far, there has been no known active pressure from armed groups for a candidate. The ELN is a sensitive issue for Cepeda, as he was a negotiator in the failed dialogue table with that guerrilla group, in addition to being the architect of the Total Peace policy for dialogue with armed groups.
Cepeda demands information from authorities about possible threat against him
The left-wing presidential candidate, Iván Cepeda, spoke out regarding President Gustavo Petro’s message on X: the president claims that the CIA knows of a possible plan to kill the candidate. “I am going to ask the authorities to inform me in detail about this circumstance,” he said. “But I also want to be supremely clear and peremptory about this: under no circumstances will I abandon my political work, much less the electoral campaign.” The candidate also stated that he has received threats before during his campaign, but has not made them public, “because I do not want to sow alarm or panic in public opinion.”
Iván Cepeda asks that no public servant campaign for him, such as the Vice Minister of Information Technologies
The left-wing candidate revealed that the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Information Technologies is intervening in the electoral campaign, despite the fact that it is prohibited in Colombia for officials to engage in politics from their positions. “My campaign has become aware that in recent days, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies, Andrés López, allegedly participated in a WhatsApp group to promote my electoral campaign,” says Cepeda, who rejects this type of support. “I reiterate my position that no public servant should intervene in political proselytism, in general, and in my electoral campaign activities, in particular,” he adds.
However, the country’s most important official, President Gustavo Petro, has been accused by electoral observers of constantly intervening in the electoral campaign, both to make key party decisions and by speaking about the right-wing candidates competing against Cepeda.
Gustavo Petro: “The CIA already has real and concrete data on a possible assassination attempt against candidate Iván Cepeda”
President Gustavo Petro stated on his social media that the US intelligence agency, the CIA, has information about “a possible assassination attempt against candidate Iván Cepeda.” The president responded to a White House message in which Washington said that ‘terrible consequences’ await those who attempt to attack presidential candidates. It was right-wing candidates, Paloma Valencia and Abelardo de la Espriella, who received death threats last Sunday via their social media. The Minister of Interior, Armando Benedetti, expressed his rejection of these threats and announced measures to guarantee the candidates’ security. The president did not mention the threats to Valencia or De La Espriella on his social media, and today revealed that it is his political party’s candidate, Cepeda, who is threatened by the “extreme right.” He said, without proof, that it is the same extreme right behind the assassination of influencer Charlie Kirk, and the attack suffered by Trump when he was a candidate in 2024.
“I thank President Donald Trump for his support for free elections. Remembering the origin of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the one Donald Trump himself received comes from the same side: an extreme right that uses the state to kill and death to seek votes,” he said.
Roy Barreras announces this will be his last electoral campaign
Former senator and presidential candidate for the La Fuerza party, Roy Barreras, has announced that this will be his last political electoral campaign. He stated that this does not mean he will withdraw from the race for the Presidency. “What I have said is that it is the last time: I will never again be a candidate for anything,” he announced via his social media. However, he asserted that he has a “higher obligation,” which is to try to prevent the country’s division and ensure that the next government is one that generates confidence, not fear. He added: “If we succeed, this candidacy will go until June 21,” the date of the second presidential round, which Barreras aims to reach, despite unfavorable poll numbers.
Paloma Valencia from the border with Ecuador: “The first call I will make [in my Government] is to President Noboa”
From the Rumichaga international bridge, connecting Ecuador with Colombia, the Uribista candidate, Paloma Valencia, spoke alongside former president and her mentor, Álvaro Uribe. They traveled to a community affected by the diplomatic crisis between the presidents of the two countries, Gustavo Petro and Daniel Noboa, which escalated to the point that Ecuador will impose 100% tariffs on Colombia on May 1st; a decision that could end cross-border trade. “It is unacceptable that the Government, when warned that if it does not combat drug trafficking, they will impose tariffs, prefers to punish merchants and transporters, and the economy of southern Nariño, rather than combat criminality,” said the candidate. Noboa has argued that Petro has not fought illegal groups on the border, and therefore punishes with these new tariffs he calls a security fee. But experts warn that the tariffs he imposes may instead incentivize criminality on the border. While armed groups have strengthened during Petro’s mandate, the tariffs harm legal trade on the border.
“I want to make an announcement: on the first day [of my government], we are going to militarize the Cali-Popayan-Pasto road, so that there is no more suffering,” Valencia promised a crowd, if she wins the presidency mid-year. “That same day, the first call I will make is to President Noboa, to say that here there is someone to fight narcoterrorism, and that he immediately removes the tariffs to reactivate trade.” She promised a customs office that would streamline traffic, criticized Petro for promoting trade with Venezuela. “We don’t want to be intergalactic leaders; we want to be presidents of Colombia to serve Colombians,” she added.
Above all, she promised to work with the Governor of the border department of Nariño, who is aligned with the Government and has defended Petro’s total peace policy. Nariño is usually an area that votes left or progressive, but the new crisis with Ecuador has been an opportunity for the right competing for votes. In the afternoon, Abelardo de La Espriella will also speak from the department’s capital, Pasto.
Radical Change party frees its militants to join Valencia or De la Espriella
The Radical Change party decided, after its legislative caucus meeting, to free its militants to support either of the right-wing presidential candidacies, whether Paloma Valencia’s or Abelardo de la Espriella’s. The conservative formation also imposed a veto on supporting the official candidate, Iván Cepeda. Within Radical Change, a party where several powerful clans from different regions of the country converge, there are tendencies with affinities towards both the Uribista candidacy and that of the far-right lawyer. In this way, it separates itself from parties like the Conservative and the U, which this same week unanimously decided to join Valencia’s campaign, in an attempt to get closer to the favorable poll numbers that favor Iván Cepeda, who has been leading in surveys for months.
The Conservative Party joins Paloma Valencia’s campaign
The Conservative Party announced this Wednesday that it will join the presidential campaign of the Democratic Center candidate, Paloma Valencia. The party’s president, Efraín Cepeda, explained that the decision was made “unanimously.” “From this moment on, the Conservative Party has an official candidate, and from here we express to our militants that this decision of the directorate is law for our members, and we must put ourselves at the service of candidate Paloma Valencia,” Cepeda said. In this way, the Conservative Party, one of Colombia’s two historic parties, joins the Party of the U, which last Monday adhered to the Uribista campaign, one of the two right-wing aspirations seeking to contest the Presidency against the official candidate, Iván Cepeda, who has been leading in all polls and surveys for several months.
María Paz Gaviria joins Paloma Valencia’s candidacy
Former Liberal Party Senate candidate and daughter of former president César Gaviria, María Paz Gaviria, has joined the campaign of Paloma Valencia and Juan Daniel Oviedo. A photo circulating on social media, showing her embracing the Democratic Center candidate, attests to her support, as well as providing clues about her party’s decision, which will announce whom it will support in the upcoming elections at the end of this month.
Most Green congressmen opt for Iván Cepeda
Political differences within the Green Alliance Party became irreconcilable. The National Directorate of the Party approved, with 32 votes in favor, the request for the party’s split, presented this Monday by Senator Jonathan Ferney Pulido Hernández, known as Jota Pe Hernández. “I thank you for allowing me to start my political career in this house; I will remain firm in serving Colombia,” said the senator, one of the most critical of Gustavo Petro’s Government, in a farewell-toned message.
For years, the center party had been showing signs of wear. In its ranks, senators who became almost opponents of the current administration, such as Katherine Miranda or Catherine Juvinao, shared positions with others who supported most of its initiatives, such as Ariel Ávila, Olga Lucía Velásquez, or Liliana Rodríguez. The fissures, which became evident during this legislature, have again become apparent during this presidential campaign, in which support is divided. However, most Green congressmen are opting for Iván Cepeda.
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This Monday, Representative Jaime Raúl Salamanca Torres announced that the party had decided to form a commission tasked with building a programmatic agreement with the left-wing candidate’s campaign. However, Miranda says she is unaware of the decision. For her, it is more consistent “with the defense of the Constitution and the independence of powers” to support Paloma Valencia and Juan Daniel Oviedo, the right-wing ticket. None, paradoxically, speak of supporting the center candidates, Sergio Fajardo or Claudia López, who emerged from the party’s core.
“Today the Green Alliance party decided to prohibit, to prevent, us from supporting Claudia López and Sergio Fajardo. They have been leaders of the Green Alliance Party. It is an anti-democratic decision very much in line and in tune with the character of President Gustavo Petro,” questioned Senator Angélica Lozano, after the decision to begin negotiations with the official candidate became known. “It is a final and sad closing stage for the party,” she concluded.
The Green Party creates a commission to build an agreement and support Iván Cepeda
Amidst the endorsements and alliances still being forged in the Colombian presidential race, it has been learned that the center-left Green Alliance party has decided to form a commission tasked with building a programmatic agreement with the campaign of the left-wing candidate, Iván Cepeda. “Said agreement implies that the Green Party’s proposals and priorities be recognized in the Alliance for Life’s Government program; as well as that the Green Party’s militancy join the presidential campaign of Cepeda-Quilqué,” states a handwritten text disseminated by the party’s House Representative, Jaime Raúl Salamanca Torres.
However, Salamanca clarifies in a tweet that no official agreement has yet been reached. “Until there is a programmatic agreement with the Alliance for Life coalition, there will be no support for the presidential campaign,” he wrote on X.
Vicky Dávila, former presidential candidate, attempts to return to journalism with Semana
Vicky Dávila jumped from journalism to politics ten months ago but now wants to return. The former director of Semana magazine until last year, she decided to run for president in June as an ‘outsider’ candidate, and initially seemed to have options to capture the anti-Petrista right-wing vote. But another ‘outsider’ crossed her path, the far-right lawyer Abelardo de La Espriella, who now appears as the second favorite in the polls. Dávila publicly clashed with the criminal lawyer several times, alleging he had too many shadows in his past – especially as a defender of Nicolás Maduro’s frontman, Alex Saab. She then sought an alliance with right-wing candidates, making it clear that she would never be an ally of De La Espriella. Dávila lost the right-wing pre-candidate consultation in March and then jumped to support the winner, the Uribista Paloma Valencia. The agreement between them was that the losers would join in supporting the winner, and some, like former minister Mauricio Cárdenas, former mayor Enrique Peñalosa, and former senator David Luna, are campaigning accordingly.
Dávila, however, reactivated her YouTube channel, not to campaign for Paloma Valencia (like the other right-wing pre-candidates) but to resume conducting interviews. Last week, she sat down with former president Álvaro Uribe. “You know I have a journalist’s heart,” she told him.
More surprisingly, she then sat down this Sunday with Abelardo de La Espriella for an interview that was this time reproduced on Semana’s digital channels. “I want to tell you that I am not sitting here today for this conversation representing any political project; I am not coming as a spokesperson for any candidate,” she said at the beginning. Alex Saab appeared tangentially. “Some people believe that Abelardo de La Espriella has financed his campaign with money from Alex Saab.” An accusation the candidate denied: “I haven’t spoken to Alex in seven years.” Past differences regarding the consultation also emerged. “Remember, I’m no longer a candidate; don’t drag me into those messes,” she asked him about his decision not to join the consultation. “No, I have to drag you in because you were there; the past doesn’t forgive,” he replied.
The Party of the U joins Paloma Valencia’s campaign
The Party of the U announced this Monday its adherence to the campaign of Paloma Valencia, the presidential candidate of the Uribista Democratic Center party. According to the party’s announcement, both its collegiate leadership and its elected and incumbent congressmen have “overwhelmingly” decided to join Valencia’s aspiration. “This decision responds to our responsibility to Colombians to support an option that guarantees the institutional stability of the State,” the Party of the U said in a brief statement emphasizing the need to strengthen security and the quality of life of the population.
“Don’t expect statements against peace from me”: Cepeda on party in Itagüí prison
The left-wing presidential candidate, Senator Iván Cepeda, spoke for the first time about the vallenato party reported in Itagüí prison, Antioquia, which was attended by leaders of criminal gangs who have been in dialogue with the Government for the past three years.
“I believe that should be handled by the prison authorities, of course,” he told reporters from several media outlets when asked about it. “But don’t expect statements against peace from me.”
Videos of the party were revealed by Claudia Carrasquilla, a councilwoman from the Democratic Center party, just one week after the National Government announced it was canceling arrest warrants for spokespersons of the High-Impact Criminal Structures (EAOCAI) of Medellín and the Aburrá Valley. After the controversy, the dialogue table with the leaders was temporarily suspended.
Cepeda’s terse words drew criticism from several politicians, especially other presidential candidates. Through her X account, Paloma Valencia, from the Democratic Center, reproached Cepeda for remaining silent. “[Cepeda] is not going to speak ‘against peace.’ But what peace is he talking about? The same one that has benefited criminals while the country faces high levels of violence.”
Sergio Fajardo, who had already spoken out about Cepeda’s silence regarding other accusations surrounding Total Peace, joined the pressure the left-wing politician is receiving. “Cepeda’s silence is complicit and incoherent,” he wrote on the social network, taking the opportunity to remind him that, despite both demanding debates four years ago during Gustavo Petro’s campaign, “today, in power, the silence is total.”
De la Espriella and Valencia would beat Cepeda in a second round, according to Atlas Intel
According to the pollster Atlas Intel, Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia would beat Iván Cepeda in a second round. It is the first time a poll shows this favorable result for the ultra and the Uribista, who have always lagged behind the Petrista in recent surveys.
According to the study commissioned by Semana Magazine, De la Espriella would obtain 48.8% of the votes in a runoff with Cepeda, who would get 39.8%. Valencia would achieve 47.1% against Cepeda’s 39.6%.
In the first round, Cepeda remains the leader, this time with 38.7%, followed by De la Espriella with 27.9% and Valencia with 23.5%. While the Petrista and Uribista candidates are growing, the ultra outsider is stagnating, when compared to other measurements by the same pollster.
Iván Cepeda calls for opening up to alliances with the ‘political center’ while parties continue to debate their support
Before two traditional parties announced they would not consider an alliance with the left-wing candidate, Senator Iván Cepeda received the support of a Green Party senator, Ariel Ávila, and there he made it clear that he wants to extend his hand to the country’s political center. “I want to call on citizens who feel part of the political center,” he said. “The role of center citizens in today’s world is decisive. It is not about a light center, empty balances, or comfortable neutralities. It is about a center with character, with decision, with the ability to take a stand, and to position itself unambiguously on the right side of history.”
Speaker of the House criticizes LA U party’s stance against Iván Cepeda:
The Speaker of the House of Representatives of Colombia, Julián López, harshly criticized the leadership of the Party of the U, of which he was a member and from which he resigned in 2025. He criticized the party’s decision not to support Iván Cepeda, despite some of its members having been closer to the left-wing project. López, who has had fierce disputes with the party’s director, Dilian Francisca Toro, since last year, described the party as an “anachronistic, weak party, with timid leadership full of fears.” “They decide to play, for the presidency, with the far-right that has impoverished Colombia,” he added.
Abelardo de La Espriella rejects the possibility of the Party of the U supporting him
While the Party of the U expects to decide next week which presidential candidate the party will support, the far-right candidate, who has sought to present himself as an outsider not from traditional parties, sent them a message. “I’ll make it easy for you: don’t count on me,” he told the party, before it makes its decision, and called them “Santos’s party, the party that was Petro’s government party.” The U is a party founded by former president Juan Manuel Santos in 2005, and in 2022 it declared itself a government party when Gustavo Petro came to power.
Conservative and La U parties confirm they will not support Iván Cepeda for the presidential elections
This week, several traditional parties are meeting to define whom they will support for the presidential campaign. The Liberal party spent all Tuesday in meetings, with some pushing towards the Uribista Paloma Valencia and others towards the left-wing candidate, Iván Cepeda. They did not make decisions.
The Conservative and La U parties, however, decided to issue communiqués this Wednesday announcing that, while they still don’t know whom to support, they already know they don’t want to support Cepeda. The conservatives clarified that they are choosing between Valencia and the far-right candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella.
ELECTIONS IN COLOMBIA
Sergio Fajardo renews his anti-corruption discourse using dozens of brooms as a symbol for his campaign
The candidate who had emphasized his educational proposal returns to ‘not everything goes,’ which became popular in the 2010 presidential campaign alongside Antanas Mockus
ELECTIONS IN COLOMBIA
Paloma Valencia and Abelardo de la Espriella seek María Corina Machado’s endorsement
The Uribista candidate says the opposition leader has already offered her support “to safeguard the elections,” while the ultra seeks to distance himself from his past as Alex Saab’s lawyer
ELECTIONS IN COLOMBIA
Abelardo de La Espriella revives his campaign by accusing Petro of illegal wiretaps
The far-right candidate portrays himself as a political persecutee after the president mentioned an alleged private conversation of the criminal lawyer to commit electoral fraud
Iván Cepeda meets again with Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum
The left-wing candidate, Iván Cepeda, met again with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during a visit he made to the North American country last week. “I thank the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, for the constructive meeting we held at the conclusion of my visit to her country last week. In this second meeting we had, I was able to express to her, once again, the recognition and admiration she enjoys in Colombia,” Cepeda indicated in an X post.
This is the second meeting between Cepeda and Sheinbaum. The first occurred in November, also in Mexico City. The candidate supported by Gustavo Petro has given his campaign international prominence in recent months. In addition to the Mexican president, he has met with Spain’s Pedro Sánchez and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Clara López to resign presidential aspiration to join Iván Cepeda’s campaign
Senator Clara López will resign her presidential candidacy to join Iván Cepeda’s campaign, several media outlets reported this Wednesday. The official announcement is expected to be made next week at an event with the Historical Pact.
The candidate, registered last January 31, has made the decision in order not to divide the left-wing votes in the first round, according to several sources close to the congresswoman told Caracol Radio.
Little by little, Iván Cepeda has gathered support from several of his former opponents. Last week, he received the support of Juan Fernando Cristo in his first alliance outside the Pact. It is expected that, in addition to López, he will also formalize the endorsement of Green Senator Ariel Ávila.
Acxan Duque defends himself against accusations: “What happened was a sending error, involuntary and duly documented”
This Friday, through a statement, Duque’s defense insisted that the image was sent by mistake. “The complete chat thread accredits both the original destination and the exact moment the erroneous sending occurred and will be made available to the authorities,” his lawyers state. They add: “Mr. Duque Gámez recognized the error immediately. He offered direct apologies to the affected official in the same communication channel, before the situation became public. Furthermore, that same morning, on his own initiative, he reported the facts to the Human Talent Office of the Ministry of Equality. And he submitted his resignation (…) without waiting to be asked, with the purpose of not compromising the Ministry’s management or interfering with investigations.”
Medellín Court concludes that Iván Cepeda’s speech was based on Antioquia’s historical reality
The Historical Pact candidate, Iván Cepeda, has announced that the Eighteenth Civil Circuit Court of Orality of Medellín ruled in his favor, considering that his speech on the history of paramilitarism in Antioquia did not violate fundamental rights to honor, good name, and free development of personality, thus denying the tutela requests filed by three citizens. On the contrary, the court concluded that Cepeda’s speech was based on the historical reality of the department.
According to the court’s decision, “Iván Cepeda Castro’s intention is to champion the resilience and transformative capacity of the inhabitants of the Department of Antioquia, rather than to stigmatize them or create a fictitious image of violence, paramilitarism, or drug trafficking.”
