In a new escalation of tensions between the executive branch and electoral institutions, Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, launched strong criticism of the National Electoral Council (CNE) following the body’s decision to exclude Senator Ivan Cepeda from the left-wing interparty primary scheduled for March 8. The Cepeda exclusion is “a blow to democracy,” President Petro said.
The decision, adopted by a majority of six magistrates to four, was sealed by the decisive vote of a controversial alternate judge who, in the past, had professional ties to Abelardo De la Espriella — an opposition presidential candidate — prompting all kinds of criticism over the lack of impartiality of the ruling due to a potential conflict of interest in the process.
Colombia’s Petro slams exclusion of Ivan Cepeda from left-wing primaries
In this regard, the country’s president, Gustavo Petro, himself joined the criticism of the electoral body. Writing on his account on the social platform X, Petro described the resolution as a “blow to democracy” and an attack on the fundamental right to elect and be elected, and even urged the country’s jurists to file tutela actions to “restore the Constitution.”
“This person you see in the photo served as a judge and denied the right to elect and be elected to a citizen of Colombia who is the electoral rival of his close friend [Abelardo De la Espriella, a conservative opposition candidate]. We are facing a crime: Failing to recuse himself and acting as an administrative judge,” he alleged.
Beyond questioning the judge’s suitability, Petro called for “immediate monitoring by OAS and the European Union” over what he considers an irregular ruling. On the other hand, the Colombian president also focused his criticism on “an even worse fact,” directly pointing to CNE over its decisions against his political organization.
“CNE has not decided that Colombia Humana merge with the Pact, and therefore applies the minority coalition rule to what is a party — the largest in Colombia — and in doing so prevents the registration of that party’s lists where it won majorities four years ago. It is a serious blow to Colombian democracy; the dictatorship they seek comes from corruption and the mafias,” he concluded with this strong statement against the oversight bodies of Colombia’s political system.
In another subsequent comment, Petro also questioned the annulment by the electoral body of lists from the Historic Pact for the House of Representatives, reiterating that it is “a blow to democracy” aimed at preventing progressive majorities that could support a potential continuity government.
Está persona que ven en la foto, fungió de juez y negó el derecho a elegir y ser elegido de un ciudadano de Colombia que es el rival electoral de su íntimo amigo.
Estamos ante un delito. El de no haberse impedido y fungir como juez administrativo
Está herido el derecho a… pic.twitter.com/ekf3AH7ad9
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) February 4, 2026
CNE’s decision and a new electoral landscape
The truth is that the political confrontation generated by this decision opens a new front of polarization just over three months before the presidential elections. The controversy arose from CNE’s vote that excluded Ivan Cepeda, a senator from the Historic Pact, from the consultation to choose a single candidate for the left-wing coalition. Cepeda had been leading internal polls and represented a strategic line for the ruling camp.
With six votes against and four in favor, the full chamber of the body determined that Cepeda could not participate because he had taken part in a previous consultation held by the same political movement last year.
The decision meant that his name would not appear on the ballot for the Frente por la Vida consultation, where other candidates will compete, such as former senator and ambassador Roy Barreras, former ambassador Camilo Romero, and former minister Juan Fernando Cristo.
However, following the controversial decision, the consultation itself is up in the air, pending official agreements among the participants.
For the magistrates who voted against Cepeda’s participation, the legal rationale was the ban on taking part in two consultations within the same electoral process.
However, for his critics, the decision appears to have gone beyond a strict legal interpretation and raises political questions about the criteria applied and the impartiality of the electoral referee. In this regard, they insist that the first consultation took place within the same party and therefore would not amount to double participation in the inter-party consultation scheduled for March 8.
Amid the legal and political dispute, Cepeda announced that, given the impossibility of competing in the consultation, he will register directly for the presidential first round on May 31, thereby intensifying the confrontation with his rivals and reshaping the landscape of the left’s campaign.