Polls opened earlier today across Colombia for a presidential runoff that will determine whether the country continues on its leftist path or shifts rightward under a political outsider, with more than 41 million eligible voters casting ballots to choose between two starkly different visions for the nation’s future.
The Registraduría de Colombia, the national electoral authority, opened voting stations at 8 a.m. local time for eight hours on Sunday, June 21, 2026, setting the stage for a decisive matchup between right-wing businessman Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist Senator Iván Cepeda.
De la Espriella won 43 percent of votes in the May 31 first round, narrowly edging Cepeda, who received 41 percent. No candidate secured the 50 percent majority required to win outright, triggering the runoff and setting up a choice between two opposing strategies for addressing Colombia’s mounting security and economic challenges.
De la Espriella, a lawyer and businessman with no prior political experience who calls himself “The Tiger,” is proposing a heavy-handed security approach that has earned him the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump. He has vowed to end peace talks with armed groups and carry out a broad military offensive against them, while boosting Colombia’s oil and gas sector. He has also promised to build 10 mega-prisons, modeled on the policies of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele that have lowered homicide rates but drawn accusations of human rights abuses.
Cepeda, 63, is backing the continuation of President Gustavo Petro’s leftist policies, including state pension payments for the poor, union-backed labor reforms, and a fraught “total peace” strategy involving dialogue with multiple illegal armed groups despite those efforts having largely failed. Petro, the country’s first leftist president, is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection.
The runoff comes amid a surge in violence in Colombia. Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides—the most since at least 2015—driven by clashes among illegal armed groups competing for control of drug trafficking routes. Extortions have soared to 13,417 cases in 2025, more than double the number recorded in 2015. Peace talks initiated by Petro have largely failed as armed groups have grown in power and numbers.
Polls and market analysts favor de la Espriella, who leads in runoff polling. Both candidates have worked to raise turnout among the nearly half of eligible voters who skipped the May first round. The election comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace pact with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which once offered hope of breaking the nation’s cycle of violence but has since unraveled as most rebel groups abandoned ideological conflict for the profits of drug trafficking.
De la Espriella has cast Petro and Cepeda as allies of criminals, though Petro’s government says it has seized more cocaine than any other government. Cepeda has critiqued de la Espriella’s work as a lawyer for people tied to right-wing paramilitary groups and corruption cases. De la Espriella says his professional relationships involved no complicity or crime.
Initial results are expected a few hours after polls close at 4 p.m. local time. The winner will serve as president of Colombia from 2026 to 2030.
Sources
- Reuters — Confirmed polls opened at 8 a.m. for eight hours, more than 41 million eligible voters, first-round results (de la Espriella 43%, Cepeda 41%), candidates’ policy positions, de la Espriella’s Trump endorsement, and violence statistics.
- AP News — Verified first-round results, candidates’ platforms, Petro’s role, violence data, and voter sentiment on security and economic concerns.
- AS/COA — Confirmed de la Espriella’s first-round lead and polling advantage for the runoff.
