At 16:00 Bulgarian time on Sunday, the polling stations for the presidential elections in Colombia will open.
Eleven politicians are fighting for the highest office in the country. According to the latest surveys, the favorites are Ivan Cepeda, candidate of the ruling left-wing party “Historic Pact“, far-right businessman Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, representative of the center-right party “Democratic Center“. To win in the first round, the candidate must secure an absolute majority of the votes cast – 50% plus one. Otherwise, a runoff will be held on June 21.
Over 41.4 million citizens in Colombia are eligible to vote. Participation in the elections is voluntary.
To ensure law and order, the authorities traditionally introduce enhanced security measures. More than 400,000 military and police officers will be deployed throughout the country.
The current Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who took office on August 7, 2022, cannot run for a second term, as the country's constitution prohibits re-election.
Senator Ivan Cepeda advocates for the continuation of Petro's socio-economic policies, positioning himself as a guarantor of the current reforms. He promises to continue the labor reform program and expand social guarantees, as well as implement the "Total Peace" strategy to reduce violence in the country through dialogue with armed groups. Among his economic proposals are the introduction of taxes on large assets and the reduction of subsidies for large companies.
Abelardo de la Espriella has built an image of himself as an outsider. He is building his campaign on the ideas of an uncompromising fight against crime and reducing state intervention in the economy. To stimulate economic growth, he intends to significantly reduce government spending, increase exports and expand the production of fossil fuels.
Senator Paloma Valencia, who is closely associated with former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, is focused on restoring institutional stability and reducing public spending. Her economic promises include supporting small businesses, reducing the tax burden, restoring investor confidence and stimulating the development of the energy, mining and construction industries. Valencia's platform also calls for an increase in the number of military and police personnel.
Zepeda is the only front-runner in the presidential race who has strongly criticized the US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
De la Espriella, for his part, advocates for stronger military cooperation with the US and Israel and even plans to consider allowing the US military to attack drug cartel laboratories.
Valencia also believes that it is necessary to restore the previous level of cooperation between Colombia and the US.
According to polls published before the presidential election, corruption, street crime, gang and armed violence remain the main problems of voters. Political violence has increased in recent years.
Despite the difficult crime situation, the approval rating of Gustavo Petro, the first left-wing president in the country's history, remains a record high for outgoing Colombian leaders at the end of his term - around 50%. Analysts attribute this support to the tangible results of social programs aimed at reducing historic inequality and poverty. The latter indicator fell from 36.6% in 2022 to 31.8% in 2024, the lowest level since 2012.
Since Donald Trump took office as US president, relations between Bogota and Washington have been seriously strained. Petro has repeatedly criticized US actions under the Trump administration. Washington, in turn, has sharply criticized Bogota for insufficient efforts to combat cocaine production. In October 2025, the US Treasury Department imposed personal sanctions on the Colombian leader.
Diplomatic tensions between the countries eased after Trump hosted Petro at the White House in February 2026. The two countries agreed to resume extensive cooperation in the anti-drug sector.