Oviedo Could Be Key to Colombia’s Political Center

Written on 03/09/2026
Josep Freixes
The votes obtained by Juan Daniel Oviedo could give him a decisive role in the center and in Paloma Valencia’s options in Colombia. Credit: Josep Maria Freixes / Colombia One / @JDOViedo / X.com.

The political map that emerged from the inter-party consultations held yesterday, Sunday, in Colombia, produced several surprises, but few as significant as the result obtained by the former director of DANE and former candidate for the Bogota mayor’s office, Juan Daniel Oviedo.

With more than 1.22 million votes, Oviedo became the second most-voted candidate within the right-wing consultation, trailing only the Democratic Center senator Paloma Valencia, who ultimately prevailed clearly in that internal process.

Beyond the formal outcome of the consultation, Oviedo’s vote revealed a political reality that could prove decisive in the coming months: The existence of an urban, technocratic, and moderate centrist electorate that does not feel fully represented either by traditional Uribismo or by the more radical positions that have emerged within the Colombian right in recent years.

That political space, diffuse but increasingly visible, could become a key piece ahead of the presidential first round scheduled for May 31, and for some analysts, Oviedo is mentioned as a possible vice-presidential running mate for Valencia, something Oviedo has not confirmed.

Oviedo could be key to Colombia’s political center

Oviedo’s result was, to a large extent, a surprise for much of the political establishment. Without a solid party machine and with a limited political structure, the former director of DANE managed to mobilize more than 1 million voters in a consultation dominated by traditional parties.

The figure is even more revealing considering that the party with which he competed in the legislative elections failed to obtain representation in Congress.

This confirms that the support obtained by Oviedo has a deeply personalist character. His votes respond less to a party structure than to a public image built around his technical profile, his moderate discourse, and his connection with urban sectors, especially in Bogota.

In a political system as fragmented as Colombia’s, where electoral machines usually make the difference, the ability to mobilize a vote total of this magnitude without a consolidated political apparatus is, in itself, a political fact of the first order.

Oviedo’s result also has direct implications for Paloma Valencia’s candidacy. The Democratic Center senator managed to prevail in the right-wing consultation, consolidating herself as the main contender of that political bloc ahead of the presidential elections.

However, to seriously aspire to reach the presidency, Valencia will need to expand her electoral base beyond the hard core of Uribismo, especially given the extremist positioning of her main rival on the right, the independent Abelardo de La Espriella. And that is where the political capital accumulated by Oviedo could prove decisive.

The Colombian right has historically had difficulties connecting with the centrist electorate, particularly in large cities. Oviedo’s profile, more technical than ideological and more urban than partisan, offers precisely a bridge toward that political space.

It is no coincidence that, as soon as the consultation figures became known, rumors began circulating in various Colombian media outlets about the possibility that Oviedo could become Valencia’s vice-presidential running mate. A duo of that kind would make it possible to balance the ideological profile of the ticket, combining Valencia’s Uribista base with the centrist appeal of the former DANE director.

Rumors and caution in a key week

For now, however, that possibility remains only political speculation. Oviedo himself moved to cool the rumors just hours after the consultation results became known. In statements to the media, he made it clear that his immediate priority continues to be Bogota.

It is no secret that the former DANE director has long had his sights set on the capital. After finishing second in the mayoral elections in 2023, Oviedo has never hidden his intention to run again for that office in the 2027 elections.

For her part, Paloma Valencia has also opted for caution. The senator announced that it will be next Thursday when she will reveal the name of her vice-presidential running mate, a decision that is being carefully evaluated within her political team.

Oviedo’s emergence in the consultation also reshapes the internal balance within the Colombian right. Until recently, one of the names most frequently mentioned within that political spectrum was that of the lawyer and independent candidate Abelardo De la Espriella, whose hard and confrontational rhetoric has captured the attention of conservative sectors.

However, De La Espriella’s ideological profile represents a much sharper shift to the right, which could complicate his ability to attract moderate voters in a potential second round.

In contrast, Oviedo’s vote demonstrates that there is a significant segment of the electorate seeking less polarized alternatives. For Valencia, integrating or at least moving closer to that electorate may be the key to competing with left and center-left options that have traditionally had a greater capacity to mobilize voters in large cities.

The strategic value of a centrist political asset of 1.2 million votes

In politics, votes are rarely completely transferable. But they are signals. And the more than 1.22 million votes obtained by Oviedo represent a clear signal of the existence of an intermediate political space that still does not have a fully consolidated leadership.

That electoral capital could end up being decisive in a presidential campaign that will likely unfold in a scenario of great fragmentation. In a country where runoff elections are often decided by narrow margins, the ability to attract that centrist electorate can make the difference.

For now, Oviedo seems determined to maintain his political autonomy and not to prematurely commit his electoral capital. But his result in the consultation has changed the board.

If he decides to play an active role in the presidential campaign — whether as an ally, mediator, or eventual member of a ticket — his influence could go far beyond the numbers he obtained on Sunday. In the complex balance of forces that defines Colombian politics, the center is usually a contested territory. And after Sunday’s consultations, everything indicates that Oviedo has become one of its most decisive actors.