Colombia’s presidential candidates cast their vote. Colombian citizens went to the polls this Sunday, May 31, 2026, to elect the next president of the Republic. The leading candidates for the presidency exercised their right to vote at their respective assigned polling stations. The National Registry authorized 373,612 poll watchers to monitor the voting process.
The polls opened at 8:00 a.m. without incident, according to the Ministries of Defense and the Interior. Electoral authorities confirmed that the preliminary count would begin immediately after the polls closed at 4:00 p.m.
Left-wing vote and alternative sectors
The candidate for the Pacto Historico (Historic Pact) coalition, Ivan Cepeda, arrived at the San Lucas School, located in the Kennedy district in the southwest of the city, where he cast his vote around 11:30 a.m. Cepeda reaffirmed to the media his commitment to his social reform proposals and called on citizens to exercise their right to vote. The senator recently gained the support of Luis Gilberto Murillo and Carlos Caicedo, who withdrew their candidacies to unify the progressive vote ahead of the first round.
In the western part of the country, Claudia Lopez, the presidential candidate for the Movimiento Imparables (Unstoppable Movement), cast her vote around 11:00 a.m. at a polling station near Plaza de los Hippies. Lopez defended the viability of her proposals for decentralization and the autonomous implementation of territorial public services.
Roy Barreras, the candidate for the La fuerza de la Paz (The Force of Peace) party, cast his vote in northern Bogota. Barreras emphasized the importance of institutional stability and strict adherence to the state peace agreements. Meanwhile, criminal lawyer Sondra Macollins also voted, focusing her campaign on reforms to the judicial system and penal oversight.
Traditional parties coordinate support across the country
The presidential candidate for the Democratic Center (Centro Democratico) party, Paloma Valencia, was present this morning at the Antonio Donado Camacho Educational Institution in the municipality of Rionegro, Antioquia. Valencia went to the school to support former president alvaro Uribe Velez as he exercised his right to vote. Later, the senator traveled to Bogotá in the following hours to register her vote, along with her running mate for the vice presidency, Juan Daniel Oviedo.
Miguel Uribe Londoño, candidate for the Colombian Democratic Party, voted in the north of the capital this morning. The candidate urged voters to participate massively to defend the country’s economic freedom.
Candidates vote in Antioquia and the Caribbean Coast
The Dignidad y Compromiso (Dignity and Commitment) candidate, Sergio Fajardo, voted at the INEM Jose Felix de Restrepo school in Medellin, accompanied by his vice-presidential running mate. The former governor of Antioquia indicated that the high percentage of undecided voters is keeping the outcome of the election open.
Also in Medellin, Santiago Botero, leader of the Break the System movement, cast his vote and reaffirmed his security proposals, which advocate for the legal carrying of firearms.
Meanwhile, Abelardo de la Espriella, the candidate for the Defensores de la Patria (Defenders of the Homeland) party, cast his vote at La Enseñanza school in Barranquilla. De la Espriella collected 1,978,108 valid signatures before the National Registry to register his candidacy. The lawyer made his statements in the capital of the Atlantico department, surrounded by a National Protection Unit escort, and focused his message on restoring constitutional order.
Mauricio Lizcano, the candidate for the Firme con Lizcano coalition, cast his vote at the University Institute of Manizales. Lizcano reported that the election materials arrived without incident in the departments of the Coffee Region. The closing of this election will determine whether Colombia maintains its current political course or moves toward a reconfiguration of institutional and economic power in a potential second round.