Colombians to Head to Polls to Elect President

 

Three out of 11 candidates have the strongest chances of victory: Ivan Cepeda, Abelardo de la Espriella, and Paloma Valencia.

On Sunday, May 31, Colombians will head to the polls to elect their next president for the 2026-2030 term.

The process comes as the culmination of a political campaign marked by debates over the scope of the achievements of President Gustavo Petro, the security and violence situation, and relations with the United States.

According to the latest opinion polls, three of the 11 presidential candidates have the strongest chances of victory: leftist politician Ivan Cepeda, candidate of the Historical Pact; far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, founder of the Defenders of the Homeland political movement; and Paloma Valencia, the candidate of the Democratic Center.

Other candidates include Sergio Fajardo, a mathematician running for president for the third time; Claudia Lopez, winner of the Consultation for Solutions; Roy Barreras, representative of the Front for Life; and Mauricio Lizcano, a lawyer who served as information and communications technologies minister.

Also competing for the presidency are Miguel Uribe Turbay, candidate of the center-right Colombian Democratic Party; Santiago Botero, an independent politician representing the “Break the System” movement; Sondra Macollins, a criminal defense attorney; and Gustavo Matamoros, a retired general backed by the Colombian Ecologist Party.

As part of election-related security measures, the Interior Ministry announced the closure of land and river borders with Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Authorities increased the military presence in those areas to monitor people and vehicles. The measure will take effect from 6 p.m. on May 30 until 6 a.m. on June 1.

During that period, a nationwide alcohol ban will be in force across Colombia, and violations will carry monetary penalties. The election security operation also will include the deployment of 408,000 Public Force personnel.

If none of the eleven candidates secures more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a runoff election will be held June 21.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE