The electoral day began this Sunday in Colombia with the opening of the polls at 8:00 a.m., marking the start of a key process to renew Congress and define part of the political landscape ahead of this year’s presidential elections.
From early in the morning, millions of citizens are called to participate in the legislative elections and in the interparty consultations that several coalitions have organized to choose their presidential candidates ahead of the elections on May 31.
Polling stations will remain open until 4:00 p.m., Colombian local time, when the voting day will officially close and the preliminary vote count will begin.
The country is electing this Sunday the members of Congress who will govern during the 2026–2030 term, in a vote that also serves as a political thermometer before the first round of the presidential election, a race that will take place amid strong political polarization.
Related: President Petro Votes in Colombia Elections, Urges Participation.
Voting begins in Colombia’s legislative elections
According to the electoral roll, a total of 41,287,084 Colombians are eligible to vote on this day. Citizens can cast their ballots at thousands of polling stations set up throughout the national territory and abroad, where voting tables have been arranged to facilitate participation. Electoral authorities have reminded citizens that voting is a right and a civic duty, although in Colombia it is not mandatory.
The logistical operation includes polling centers in schools, universities, coliseums and other public spaces, with the support of poll workers and personnel from the National Registry. In addition, thousands of members of the security forces have been deployed to guarantee the safety of the process and prevent electoral crimes such as vote buying or the alteration of electoral materials.
In Bogotá, for example, more than six million people are eligible to vote and more than one thousand polling stations with over 18,000 voting tables have been set up, reflecting the magnitude of the organization required for these elections. The situation is similar in other major cities such as Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla, where significant participation is expected throughout the day.
Colombians are electing this Sunday the members of Congress, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In total, more than 280 seats are at stake, which will define the composition of the legislative branch for the next four years.
In the Senate, 103 seats are elected. Of these, 100 correspond to the national constituency, two to the special Indigenous constituency, and one additional seat will later be occupied by the presidential candidate who finishes in second place in this year’s presidential elections.
In the House of Representatives, around 182 seats are distributed among territorial constituencies by department and special seats for Indigenous communities, Afro-descendants, Colombians abroad, and the so-called temporary peace constituencies created after the agreement with the FARC. To these must be added one more, who will be the vice-presidential candidate of the second most voted ticket in the presidential elections, leaving a House of 183 representatives.
It should be recalled that in this vote, the representatives of Comunes — the party created by the demobilized members of the former guerrilla group — compete on equal terms with the rest of the political forces, without the 10 seats that were granted to it by the Peace Agreement for the 2018–2022 and 2022–2026 terms.
For these elections, 3,231 candidates registered to compete for a place in Congress, forming more than five hundred lists. Of them, 1,124 are running for the Senate and 2,107 are seeking a seat in the House of Representatives.
Interparty consultations for the presidential race
In addition to renewing Congress, the electoral day includes interparty consultations that will allow some of the candidates who will compete in the presidential elections scheduled for the end of May to be defined. These open primaries function as a kind of first measurement of strength among the country’s different political blocs.
Within the right-wing bloc, the so-called Great Consultation for Colombia (Gran Consulta por Colombia, in Spanish) is being held, in which several figures from the conservative and uribista sectors are participating. Among the competing names is Senator Paloma Valencia, one of the most visible leaders of uribismo and one of the favorites within this political space, as well as independent candidate Vicky Dávila along with seven other contenders.
In the center spectrum, the so-called Consultation of Solutions (Consulta de las Soluciones, in Spanish) is taking place, a coalition that seeks to position itself as a moderate alternative amid political polarization. Among its most recognized figures is former Bogotá mayor Claudia López, who is trying to consolidate a political project that brings together independent and reformist sectors.
On the left, the Front for Life (Frente por la Vida, in Spanish) consultation is taking place, in which several leaders are competing to lead the progressive camp beyond the traditional forces and the main candidacy headed by Iván Cepeda, who was excluded from this election by the electoral authority.
Among the aspirants are figures such as Roy Barreras and former Medellín mayor Daniel Quintero, who seek to capitalize on the support of voters from this political sector and compete on May 31 with Cepeda.
Related: Results of Inter-Party Consultations for the Colombian Elections.
A political test before the presidential elections
This Sunday’s legislative elections are considered by analysts and parties as a dress rehearsal before the presidential contest. The results will allow the mobilization capacity of each political bloc and the real weight of the different coalitions within the electorate to be measured.
The vote will also determine the balance of power in the Congress that will take office on July 20, a key factor for the governability of the next president. In a fragmented political system, the composition of the legislative branch can decisively influence the approval of economic, social, and constitutional reforms.
With the polls open since the morning and thousands of polling stations operating across the country, Colombia is experiencing a decisive day that will define not only the composition of the next Congress, but also the country’s political direction in the months leading up to the presidential election.
Starting at four in the afternoon, the vote count will begin, allowing the first trends to emerge in one of the most important electoral processes on the Colombian political calendar.