Merger Between Petro’s Human Colombia and the Historic Pact Approved

Written on 03/04/2026
Josep Freixes
Colombia’s electoral authority finally approved the merger of Human Colombia, President Petro’s party, with the Historic Pact. Credit: Casa Rosada, CC BY 2-0 / @PactoCol – X.com.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) approved the merger between the Historic Pact and Human Colombia, the movement of President Gustavo Petro, thus clearing the final legal hurdle for the creation of a single left-wing party in the country.

The decision overturns the rejection issued in October, when the electoral body denied the integration due to inconsistencies in Colombia Humana’s bylaws, and formally seals the unification of the main progressive forces under a single legal status.

With this approval, the left that came to power in 2022 consolidates its organizational project into a single party structure. The CNE’s ruling not only has immediate legal effects, but also fulfills the strategic objective set from the outset: To establish a large unified party that brings together the most relevant historical, social, and programmatic currents of the Colombian progressive spectrum.

Merger between Petro’s Human Colombia and the Historic Pact approved

The Historic Pact was born as an electoral coalition that brought together groups with their own trajectories within the Colombian left. Its formation included Human Colombia, the Patriotic Union, the Colombian Communist Party, and the Alternative Democratic Pole, among other minority and social sectors.

That alliance made it possible to coordinate joint congressional candidacies and support Petro’s presidential bid, but from the beginning, the idea of moving beyond the coalition model and transforming into a single party was on the table. The intention to unify responded to a clear political assessment: The historical fragmentation of the left had limited its capacity for influence and for remaining in power.

However, Colombian electoral law prevents coalition formulas from being repeated beyond a single term, so turning the electoral alliance into a stable organization required providing it with common internal rules, defined governing bodies, and a consolidated political identity beyond electoral cycles: merging and transforming the Historic Pact coalition into a party.

The process, however, was not without difficulties. In October, CNE approved the merger of the parties that gave life to the Historic Pact, but left out Human Colombia, the party created by Gustavo Petro and his main political vehicle. The body found inconsistencies in the group’s bylaws, particularly related to internal procedures and formal requirements that had to be aligned with current regulations.

That decision generated legal and political uncertainty. Without the inclusion of Human Colombia, the single-party project remained incomplete, and the risk of challenges for dual party membership persisted for leaders and lawmakers originally elected under that movement’s endorsement.

Moreover, the exclusion of the president’s party weakened the narrative of unity that had been promoted since the presidential campaign.

In the following months, Human Colombia made the required adjustments and corrected the observations raised by CNE. With those changes, the case returned to the full chamber, which ultimately granted definitive approval to the integration, with seven votes in favor and one against, that of representative Hernan Prada, linked to the right-wing Democratic Center party, the main opponent of the current government.

The decision has immediate consequences. On the legal front, it closes the door to potential lawsuits for dual party membership against leaders who participated in lists or activities under different banners within the same political bloc. The new unified legal status removes that ambiguity and offers greater certainty to its representatives in public office.

On the political front, the merger strengthens the governing bloc’s organizational capacity. A single party facilitates the definition of lists — which were already closed, as legislative elections are being held in four days — the selection of candidates, and the adoption of common positions on reforms and legislative debates.

It also allows for a more centralized administration of resources and a coordinated electoral strategy ahead of upcoming regional and national elections.

Members of the Historic Pact celebrated the CNE’s decision. In this regard, Mafe Carrascal, a candidate for Congress from this organization and one of the beneficiaries, as the lawsuit against her for dual party membership is now moot, spoke out on social media. “I celebrate the CNE’s decision to formalize the merger between Colombia Humana and the Historic Pact: we are not a parenthesis in history. This decision guarantees our right to be elected and to represent the citizens who identify with our political project,” she said.

In a subsequent comment, the congressional hopeful added that “despite the attacks, sabotage, and obstacles they sought to inflict on us, today the Historic Pact is the political party that will continue working for the rights of the working class, of women, of male and female farmers, of those who today feel represented by us.”