{"database": "openregs", "table": "crs_reports", "rows": [["IN12689", "Colombia\u2019s 2026 Presidential Election", "2026-05-06T04:00:00Z", "2026-05-08T11:38:08Z", "Active", "Posts", "Clare Ribando Seelke", "Colombia, South America, Latin America, Caribbean & Canada", "On May 31, Colombia, a top U.S. security partner in Latin America, is scheduled to convene an election to replace President Gustavo Petro (2022-present), who is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection. U.S. officials and some Members of Congress have expressed concerns about the Petro government\u2019s counterdrug and security policies. The 119th Congress has reduced foreign assistance to Colombia and placed additional conditions on that assistance. Some Members of Congress also have expressed concerns about political violence in Colombia since the June 2025 assassination of a presidential hopeful and threats against other candidates. \nThe three main candidates are Iv\u00e1n Cepeda of Petro\u2019s leftist Historic Pact (PH) and two conservative rivals\u2014Paloma Valencia of the Democratic Center (CD) and independent Abelardo De la Espriella. Members of Congress may examine these candidates\u2019 platforms and assess their possible implications for relations with the United States. If no candidate captures more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election is scheduled for June 21; the winner is to take office on August 7. \nDomestic Context and Campaign\nThe legacy of outgoing President Petro, a polarizing figure whose popularity has risen since November, has influenced the elections. Supporters have praised Petro\u2019s focus on reducing inequality through labor reform and historic minimum wage increases despite his government\u2019s corruption scandals. The Petro administration\u2019s deemphasis of coca eradication has coincided with record cocaine production. Also, the government\u2019s \u201ctotal peace\u201d negotiations involving ceasefires with illegally armed groups may have bolstered the power of such groups and fueled violence. Increased violence could inhibit voting in some regions as armed groups seek to influence the election results.\nThe results of Colombia\u2019s March 8 legislative elections illustrated a left-right division among voters regarding how best to address violence, corruption, and economic issues but also the continued relevance of traditional parties, including the Liberal and Conservative parties. PH captured the most Senate (25 of 103) and House of Representatives (43 of 183) seats, while CD garnered the second-largest number in both chambers (17 and 28, respectively). Four parties that aligned with the PH early in Petro\u2019s term despite ideological differences\u2014but later broke with PH\u2014together won 69 House seats and 38 Senate seats. The next president likely will need to form cross-party alliances. \nCandidates\nColombia began its presidential contest with hundreds of candidates. After three interparty primaries were held concurrently with legislative elections, Paloma Valencia, winner of the center-right primary, emerged as a leading candidate, alongside Cepeda and De la Espriella\u2014neither of whom participated in a primary.\n/\nIv\u00e1n Cepeda is a left-wing PH senator, human rights activist, and \u201ctotal peace\u201d negotiator. Cepeda has pledged to combat corruption, prioritize peace and armed conflict victims\u2019 rights, enact a progressive tax reform, and bolster rural development. Cepeda opposed U.S. \u201cintervention\u201d in Venezuela and is skeptical of militarized drug policies.\nCepeda selected Aida Quilcu\u00e9, a former senator and Indigenous activist, as his running mate, reinforcing PH\u2019s support for underrepresented groups.\n\n/\nAbelardo De la Espriella is a right-wing criminal defense lawyer who has represented controversial figures including Alex Saab, a U.S.-indicted money launderer for former Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. De la Espriella, a political outsider who also holds U.S. and Italian citizenship, rejected support from political parties. He has proposed aggressive security policies similar to those of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and supports military strikes on drug trafficking targets in Colombia and aerial fumigation of coca crops.\nHis running mate, Jos\u00e9 Manuel Restrepo, is an economist and former minister of finance.\n\n/\nPaloma Valencia, a conservative CD senator, is a lawyer backed by former President \u00c1lvaro Uribe (2002-2010). Valencia has proposed a strong security plan to recapture territory from criminal groups and a counterdrug alliance with U.S. and European officials. She has pledged to streamline government and restart private investment in oil exploration and mining.\nValencia chose Juan Carlos Oviedo, a moderate economist who directed the national statistics agency, to join her ticket.\n\n\nOther contenders include Sergio Fajardo, a former mayor of Medellin, and Claudia Lopez, a former mayor of Bogot\u00e1, both of whom are centrists.\n\nPolls\nSince January 2026, Cepeda has led in the polls but remained short of an absolute majority. A weighted average of recent polls suggests that Cepeda could narrowly lose to Valencia but defeat De la Espriella in a runoff (see Figure 1). \nFigure 1. Voter Intentions\n/\nSource: CRS, using data from a weighted average of polls as published by Colombia\u2019s La Silla Vacia, https://www.lasillavacia.com/silla-nacional/ponderador-de-encuestas-cepeda-pierde-la-ventaja-en-segunda-vuelta/. \nImplications for U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress\nU.S.-Colombian relations have been strained under the second Trump Administration amid the Administration\u2019s differences with President Petro. Drug policy changes, U.S. foreign assistance cuts and tariffs, and Colombia\u2019s decision to sign a cooperation plan with China on the Belt and Road Initiative have contributed to strained relations. In September 2025, President Trump determined that Colombia had failed to meet its counternarcotics commitments, the State Department revoked Petro\u2019s visa, and the Department of the Treasury sanctioned Petro under counternarcotics authorities. Those sanctions remain in place despite a reportedly cordial February 2026 White House meeting.\nColombia\u2019s next president may seek a positive relationship with the U.S. government, as the United States remains Colombia\u2019s top economic partner and a source of security and humanitarian support. Iv\u00e1n Cepeda is regarded as less polarizing than President Petro and supports human rights programming and initiatives for Afro-Colombians and Indigenous peoples such as those funded in the FY2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 119-75). Nevertheless, his backing of Petro\u2019s security policies could strain relations. Valencia and De la Espriella have vowed to join President Trump\u2019s Americas Counter Cartel initiative. Valencia has proposed a modernized Plan Colombia bilateral security initiative. De la Espriella has endorsed security policies such as El Salvador\u2019s \u201cstate of exception\u201d policy, which has raised some human rights concerns in Congress. Cepeda could maintain Petro\u2019s high corporate taxes and frequent regulatory changes, which have created uncertainty among investors, while his opponents reportedly could seek to attract U.S. businesses by rolling back investment restrictions and limiting regulations.\n", "https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IN/PDF/IN12689/IN12689.2.pdf", "https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IN/HTML/IN12689.html"]], "columns": ["id", "title", "publish_date", "update_date", "status", "content_type", "authors", "topics", "summary", "pdf_url", "html_url"], "primary_keys": ["id"], "primary_key_values": ["IN12689"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.5573299713432789, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}