Colombians return to the polls this Sunday to elect in the second round the president who will govern the country in the constitutional period 2026-2030, between the far-right Abelardo de la Espriella and the leftist Iván Cepeda, after a virulent campaign in speeches and social networks.
A total of 41,421,973 citizens are eligible to vote in these elections in the country and abroad, where voting began on June 15 and will also conclude this Sunday.
More than half of the electorate are women (21.2 million), while there are 20.1 million men, registered at 122,016 tables distributed in 13,742 voting stations.
In the first round, on May 31, which had a participation of 57.88%, De la Espriella, of the Defenders of the Homeland movement, obtained 10.3 million votes (43.78%), while Cepeda, of the Historical Pact, party of the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, was second with 9.7 million (40.98%).
All the polls for the second round show De la Espriella, called ‘the Tiger’ by his followers, as the favorite, with voting intentions varying between 48.6% of the National Consulting Center and 50.9% of AtlasIntel, while Cepeda moves between 43.1 and 44.7%.
“Tomorrow to mobilize the electorate, to take care of the vote, and on the 22nd to get up early to work to build the second progressive government,” Cepeda, considered Petro’s heir, said today in a meeting with alternative and community media.
De la Espriella, for his part, called on his followers not to trust what the polls say. “We have come very far thanks to the efforts of millions of Colombians, but the game only ends when the referee blows the final whistle. That is why I ask you to go out early this June 21, take your families, invite your friends and continue adding more people to this great pack,” he asked in X.
Volatile campaign
Colombians arrive at the polls tomorrow after a campaign marked by extreme polarization in which not only Cepeda and De la Espriella exchanged accusations and insults but also the presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and of the United States, Donald Trump, added volatility to the process.
Petro, who has been denounced for intervening in politics and who did not accept the results of the first round held on May 31, insists on denouncing alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
“I request calm elections, without violence between anyone, but with maximum citizen vigilance,” Petro said on Friday on his X account, where he has repeatedly expressed his distrust of the electoral process, which is conducted by the National Registry.
The national registrar, Hernán Penagos, has ruled out any possibility of fraud and in an interview with EFE this week he was emphatic in pointing out: “There is no reason to doubt the electoral results disclosed by the Registry. The facts support the electoral authority.”
This position is supported by the different international observation missions that will supervise the elections with 1,694 delegates distributed throughout the country.
“The organization is impeccable, a lot of control measures have been adopted to ensure transparency. We have not seen any irregularities,” an international observer told EFE who asked not to give his name because they cannot make public statements.
Another factor that has caused controversy in this process is Trump’s support for De la Espriella, stating that Colombia will have “the support and full force” of the United States if the far-right wins, a position rejected by the Petro Government that considers it interference in internal affairs.
