The most recent meetings among right-wing pre-candidates in Colombia have made it clear that, far from paving the way toward a unified ticket for the 2026 presidential elections, deep internal divisions persist that threaten the possibility of presenting a strong option against the leftist ruling-party candidate, Ivan Cepeda.
Despite their stated interest in forming a coalition capable of competing under fair conditions, strategic, personal, and programmatic tensions complicate the possibility of reaching a viable consensus. Among the most notorious disagreements is the turmoil within the Democratic Center, the party led by former president Alvaro Uribe, which suspended its candidate selection due to deep disagreements among its contenders and while awaiting the consolidation of alliances beyond the organization.
All in all, time is running out to agree on a candidate with guarantees for next year’s presidential elections, with the first round scheduled for May, and for now — despite statements and good intentions — no concrete progress has been made.
Colombia’s right wing still can’t unite behind a 2026 presidential candidate
A series of meetings have taken place in Bogota among figures such as Vicky Davila, Marta Lucia Ramirez, Felipe Cordoba, Daniel Palacios, Anibal Gaviria, and Mauricio Gomez Amin. Although the aspirants from the Democratic Center party were not present, talks with this group are still ongoing. Also absent from the most recent meeting was Bogota’s twice-serving former mayor, Enrique Peñalosa, who has nonetheless publicly expressed his commitment to these gatherings.
These meetings have put on the table different mechanisms for building a solid opposition alliance. But beyond the declared willingness for unity, the debates have centered on rules of the game that still fail to convince everyone, suggesting that the process will not be easy or linear.
A key point of discord has been the method for choosing the main candidate. For example, proposals have been put forward to conduct a poll in January and an inter-party primary in March, with minimum participation thresholds. Likewise, some are pushing for the inclusion of figures such as Abelardo de la Espriella — an outsider lawyer with populist proposals — and Sergio Fajardo — who is more of a centrist candidate — into the coalition process, which has generated resistance in certain sectors.
The meetings have also revealed friction among aspirants who struggle to get along. Within the Democratic Center, for example, internal differences have left it to former president Alvaro Uribe to mediate the candidate selection process. Additionally, journalist Vicky Davila and lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella have engaged in public disagreements, adding another layer of complexity to any unification effort.
Some names have also dropped out of the picture. At least two aspirants decided to withdraw from the bloc: Senator Andres Guerra denounced clashes among Uribista figures, and former governor Hector Olimpo Espinosa claimed he had been sidelined from the regional alliance. These resignations not only weaken the possibility of building a common front but also highlight the fragility of ties among different political structures.
Declarative unity, operational division among Colombia’s right wing
Although those attending these talks have repeated their commitment to unity, concrete steps toward consolidating a coherent bloc remain elusive. Within the Conservative Party and the so-called Force of the Regions, programmatic and leadership disputes have slowed any clear road map.
The mutual accusations and criticisms among pre-candidates project the image of a fragmented opposition, poorly articulated and vulnerable to mistrust — something that worries right-leaning opinion-makers who now watch, with barely concealed concern, the unity that the left appears to be achieving with the ruling-party Historical Pact’s pre-candidate: Ivan Cepeda.
Meanwhile, strategists from the center-right — an option that is trying to survive in a highly polarized environment between right and left — argue that this lack of cohesion could weaken their ability to seriously compete against the consolidated structure of the left.
This is what recent analyses of emerging alliances have suggested: Without a clear candidate and without rules accepted by all, the coalition risks arriving late or disorganized.
In the opposition’s horizon, choosing a single candidate is not an end in itself: It is the condition necessary to defeat Ivan Cepeda, the pre-candidate representing a strong and well-cohesive ruling bloc.
Although Cepeda must still validate his final nomination as candidate in the March vote — where he will face other left-wing and center-left candidates with fewer chances — his role as the leader of the continuity candidacy for the current government was clearly strengthened by the large number of votes he received in his election last October, where he garnered more than 1.5 million votes. Moreover, Cepeda leads the latest polls, with over 20% of voting intention.
Time is not on Colombia’s side
For many on the right, the current fragmentation is more than a strategic issue: It is a structural weakness that could condemn them to a foretold defeat. Some analysts warn that if an agreement is not reached soon, the right-wing opposition might not only lose in the first round but also face an internal implosion after a failed contest, something that already happened in 2022 when Colombia’s right-wing candidacies failed to make it past the first vote.
Others, more optimistic, believe that the persistence of these meetings demonstrates a real — albeit laborious — commitment to unity, and they trust that mid-tier players can serve as pivots to bridge differences.
The calendar is pressing. With the first round scheduled for May 2026 and internal party primaries set for March, decision-making mechanisms must be defined soon. If the pre-candidates fail to agree in the coming weeks on how to choose their standard-bearer, they could miss the opportunity to present a consolidated option to an increasingly polarized electorate, opening space for outsider and opportunistic candidates.
In that sense, the recent call for a new conclave by opposition leaders shows that they have not abandoned the ambition of building something together. But the fracturing of traditional structures and the clashes among figures with as much ambition as support make consensus as symbolically charged as it is operationally difficult.