Bogota’s Bolivar Square became the main stage last Friday, May 23, for Ivan Cepeda’s presidential campaign closing rally. Thousands of people filled the political heart of the country in an event that combined music, speeches, left-wing symbols, and repeated calls to secure a first-round victory in the upcoming May 31 elections.
The event, organized by the so-called Alliance for Life, made up of the ruling Historic Pact party, the Alliance for Life, En Marcha, and others, was one of the largest mass gatherings of the final stretch of the campaign.
The day also carried special symbolic importance because it marked the definitive end of public campaign activities before the elections. By law, presidential candidates were allowed to hold campaign events until Sunday, May 24, the date on which the open campaign in plazas, streets, and public venues officially ended.
In that context, the massive rally in downtown Bogota was presented by the ruling coalition as a demonstration of political strength and territorial mobilization capacity.
Related: Paloma Valencia Says ‘Win Elections, Not Polls’ at Colombia Campaign Closing Rally.
Colombia’s Ivan Cepeda wraps up campaign with call for a ‘first-round victory’
The event began around midday with musical performances and cultural activities that continued throughout the afternoon. The campaign turned Bolivar Square into a kind of political and cultural festival, with musical groups, artistic performances, and constant messages of support for the Historic Pact candidate. In fact, the activities continued until after 8 p.m., when Cepeda delivered the central closing speech.
In the square, Colombian flags mixed with banners from social organizations, labor unions, Indigenous movements, and left-wing activists who had arrived from different parts of Bogota and other regions of the country. There was also a presence of victims of the armed conflict, human rights organizations, and groups aligned with President Gustavo Petro’s political project.
The main stage brought together much of the ruling coalition and the sectors that decided to back Cepeda’s candidacy in the final stretch of the campaign. Senators and representatives from the Historic Pact took part, along with leaders of allied movements and political figures from other ideological sectors.
Among the most prominent attendees were former Liberal President Ernesto Samper, who publicly called for Liberal support for Cepeda and his vice presidential running mate; former ministers Luis Gilberto Murillo and Juan Fernando Cristo; vice presidential candidate Aida Quilcue; as well as leaders from political sectors such as the Green Alliance, En Marcha, and a dissident group of Liberal Party leaders who decided to break from the party’s official line to support the progressive candidacy.
Cepeda began his speech by highlighting the results of recent polls that place him as the frontrunner, as well as other victories for progressivism, such as the legislative elections in which the Historic Pact won the largest number of congressional seats.
“Beyond the opinion polls, in which Aida Quilcue and I consistently rank first in voting intention, over the last nine months we have triumphed in several electoral processes, demonstrating the popular and civic power of the Historic Pact in the streets and at the ballot box by electing the largest congressional caucus,” he said.
Even so, he encouraged his supporters to seek out “the few new votes we still need” during the final week in order to achieve a first-round victory that the polls still do not grant him.
“We are going to secure our victory by not leaving a single corner of the country unexplored, not a single house unvisited, not a single message unsent through social media and WhatsApp, not a single window without a poster. And pay attention to what I am about to say: not a single wall without our murals,” he said, referring to a recent controversy involving former President Alvaro Uribe, who covered with white paint a pro-Cepeda mural near his residence.
Related: Colombian Presidential Election: Overseas Voting Gets Underway.
The speech against Uribe’s ‘fascism’
In fact, when Cepeda took the main stage, he focused much of his speech on a direct confrontation with former President Uribe and Uribismo. The candidate described Uribe as a “fascist” and said the May 31 elections would determine whether Colombia continues along a progressive path or returns to authoritarian political projects.
The senator’s criticism was aimed especially at the right-wing and far-right sectors backing the candidacies of Paloma Valencia and Abelardo De la Espriella. Cepeda insisted that the country is facing a clash between two opposing models and called on his supporters to maintain political mobilization in the final days before the election.
During the speech, he also referred to recent political clashes surrounding murals, public events, and mutual accusations between campaigns. In one of the most talked-about moments of the night, he asked his supporters to fill the country with political propaganda and maintain a constant presence in the streets and on social media.
Cepeda also used the event to defend the legacy of the Petro administration and present part of the proposals he has promoted throughout the campaign. He spoke about the need to fight poverty, reduce inequality, expand social programs, and strengthen state assistance for young people, senior citizens, and vulnerable populations.
The candidate said his project seeks to “build opportunities and prosperity” and promised to maintain social programs launched during the current administration. He also reiterated the idea of an “itinerant government” with a strong regional presence and closer ties to social organizations and local communities.
The push to win in the first round
One of the most repeated messages throughout the day was the call to “win in the first round.” Cepeda used the phrase repeatedly both in his speech and in earlier remarks by Historic Pact leaders. The campaign believes that a victory without the need for a runoff would consolidate the progressive project and prevent a possible unification of the opposition in a second electoral round.
However, polls published in recent days show a less decisive picture than the one presented by the campaign. Although all surveys place Cepeda as the favorite to win the first round, voting intention levels remain far from mathematically guaranteeing an outright victory on May 31.
The most recent polls give him support ranging between 32% and 44%, depending on the polling firm and methodology used. Some surveys show rapid growth for Abelardo De la Espriella, while others maintain a wider gap in favor of the ruling coalition’s candidate.
Despite those figures, the campaign closing rally in Bogota sought to project an image of confidence and electoral inevitability. From the stage, Cepeda said the “progressive wave” continues to grow and urged his supporters to redouble their efforts during the final week before voters head to the polls.
With Plaza de Bolívar packed and a mobilization that lasted throughout the day, the Historic Pact candidate thus closed a campaign marked by large public rallies, speeches centered on historical memory, and strong political polarization surrounding the country’s future.
After 154 public events in a campaign that began nine months ago for the ruling party’s candidate, the Cepeda-Quilcue ticket closed the phase of public events before the first round in the Caribbean region. On Saturday they were in Cartagena, while on Sunday they were in Barranquilla. They are aware that the Caribbean region’s vote — traditionally favorable to progressivism — could prove decisive against conservative candidate Abelardo De la Espriella, who hails from that region.
Vamos a asegurar nuestro triunfo. No vamos a dejar una sola casa sin visitar, una ventana sin afiche, una sola pared sin nuestros murales.
La respuesta de Uribe y sus seguidores ha sido la ira y la amenaza; pero la dignidad de los pueblos no se puede borrar de la historia.… pic.twitter.com/QZou0fDtQ2
— Pacto Histórico Oficial (@PactoCol) May 24, 2026