Less than twelve hours after the results of the first round of the presidential election became known, Ivan Cepeda surprised observers with an announcement that marks a shift in his campaign. The ruling coalition’s candidate, who avoided debates with his opponents for much of the race, publicly called for a face-to-face debate with Abelardo De la Espriella, the far-right candidate who prevailed at the polls and will enter the runoff with an advantage.
The proposal did not go unnoticed because it breaks with one of the most controversial decisions of Cepeda’s campaign. For months, the Historic Pact candidate refused to participate in the main debates organized by media outlets, universities, and business associations.
At the time, his team argued that there were not sufficient guarantees or adequate conditions for a serious exchange of proposals. Now, after finishing in second place, the senator maintains that those conditions do exist and that the time has come to confront his rival directly.
Cepeda calls for debate with De la Espriella after first-round defeat in Colombia
The announcement was made on the morning following Election Day. Through a public statement, Cepeda challenged De la Espriella to a political and electoral debate ahead of the presidential runoff.
“I announce to the public that I am challenging candidate Abelardo De la Espriella to a political and electoral debate,” the left-wing leader said, adding that the specific conditions of the encounter will be defined by individuals appointed by his campaign.
The decision represents a significant change from the position he maintained during the first phase of the presidential race. From the beginning of the campaign, various candidates criticized his absence from public discussion forums. While other contenders attended televised forums and events organized by different sectors, Cepeda chose to prioritize one-on-one interviews, public appearances, and events controlled by his campaign team.
The absence of the ruling coalition’s candidate ultimately became one of the most discussed issues of the campaign. His rivals insisted that he was avoiding exposure to uncomfortable questions related to the administration of President Gustavo Petro and the problems facing the government. Supporters of Petro, however, argued that many of the proposed formats served specific political interests and did not guarantee a balanced debate.
The explanation offered by Cepeda’s camp points precisely to that change in circumstances. According to the candidate, the conditions that previously did not exist are now present in a contest reduced to two candidates and focused exclusively on the race for the presidency.
The ruling coalition’s campaign believes that the runoff creates a different context, with clearer rules and a direct confrontation between the two political projects that received the largest number of votes. Under that logic, the debate would cease to be a crowded event involving several candidates and instead become a head-to-head discussion between the two options seeking to govern the country over the next four years.
The shift in messaging, however, has already begun to generate questions among opposition sectors and political analysts. For its critics, it is difficult to separate the new willingness to debate from the electoral result obtained on Sunday. Cepeda spent much of the campaign leading in the polls and avoiding public confrontations with his rivals, but changed that strategy immediately after finishing behind De la Espriella in the first round.
EMPLAZO AL CANDIDATO ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA A DEBATE
Anuncio a la opinión pública que emplazo a debate político y electoral al candidato Abelardo de la Espriella.
Las condiciones para efectuarlo serán acordadas por las personas que he designado para ese fin, y cuyo nombre…
— Iván Cepeda Castro (@IvanCepedaCast) June 1, 2026
De la Espriella’s Response: June 9
The reaction from the first-round winner was swift. De la Espriella accepted the invitation, although he conditioned his participation on Cepeda and the ruling coalition fully recognizing the election results.
The demand comes amid tensions that emerged after the polls closed. Both Cepeda and sectors close to the government expressed doubts about certain aspects of the vote-counting process and called for additional reviews before considering the discussion over the preliminary results closed. In that context, the far-right candidate stated that any debate must begin with recognition of the legitimacy of the outcome expressed by voters.
The exchange between the two reflects the tone of a campaign that promises to be even more polarized than the first round. Over the past few months, Cepeda and De la Espriella engaged in constant personal attacks, mutual accusations, and harsh public criticism that frequently overshadowed discussions about government programs.
“Here is the date and time: a debate at SEMANA, Tuesday, June 9, at 7 p.m. The only thing you have to do, Ivan Cepeda, is accept the result of democracy, which, for no reason other than wanting to deny it, you have refused to accept. Call your vice-presidential running mate, Mrs. Aida Quilcue; Jose Manuel [Restrepo] and I will be waiting for you in the studios of Semana magazine,” he wrote in response on his X social media account.
Aquí está la fecha y la hora, debate en SEMANA, martes 9 de Junio a las 7 pm.
Lo único que tienes que hacer @IvanCepedaCast es aceptar el resultado de la democracia que, sin razón diferente a querer desconocerla, te has negado a aceptar.
Convoca a tu fórmula vicepresidencial,… https://t.co/hmiM0bGcup
— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) June 1, 2026
A debate voters have been waiting for
If it ultimately takes place, the meeting would carry special significance because it would be the first major debate between the two main contenders in the presidential election. The absence of direct confrontations during the first round was one of the most striking features of the electoral process and drew criticism from various political and academic sectors.
The runoff election now opens the possibility of a scenario that many Colombians had been calling for over the past several months: seeing the government-backed candidate and the leader of the right-wing opposition face each other directly. The question is no longer only whether there will be a debate, but whether both campaigns can agree on the rules and conditions necessary to hold it.
After a campaign marked by the avoidance of such forums, Ivan Cepeda has decided to bet on direct confrontation. Voters’ response will depend on whether they interpret that shift as a natural evolution of the race or as a correction forced by the outcome at the ballot box.
Ivan Cepeda’s poor, unexpected, and concerning results in the first round appear to have had an immediate effect on a change in strategy that, if carried out, should allow the country to witness a confrontation of ideas and proposals three weeks before the second and decisive vote, in a context of extreme polarization.