The Colombian left-wing presidential candidate, Ivan Cepeda, cast his vote in Bogota on Sunday morning as part of the congressional elections being held across the country. After exercising his right to vote, the senator and presidential hopeful called on citizens to actively participate in the election day and to focus their vote exclusively on the lists for Congress.
Cepeda especially insisted that voters not take part in the inter-party primaries that are being held simultaneously with the legislative elections. According to him, his exclusion from that mechanism by the electoral authority has generated a political debate that, in his view, should not distract attention from what he considers the main objective of the day: Electing representatives to the Senate and the House.
The progressive leader went to the polls in the Colombian capital on a day that will determine the composition of the next Congress, made up of 103 senators and 183 representatives who will take office starting in July. These elections are considered key to measuring the strength of the different political currents ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for May 31.
He stressed that the country is going through a decisive moment and that the vote for Congress will have a direct impact on Colombia’s political course in the coming years.
Left-wing presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda votes in Sunday’s congressional elections
After casting his vote, Cepeda publicly reiterated his stance regarding the inter-party primaries that also appear on the ballot this Sunday. The senator asked his supporters and citizens in general to refrain from participating in those primaries and to focus their decision on the elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The candidate explained that his exclusion from the left-wing bloc’s primary was a decision adopted by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which altered the political landscape ahead of the election day. The electoral authority determined that Cepeda could not participate in a new inter-party primary because he had already taken part in a previous process within his political sector.
As a result of that ruling, the presidential hopeful said that the primary mechanism lost representativeness within his sector and that, therefore, the priority should be to strengthen the parliamentary representation of progressivism.
During his remarks to the media and supporters, Cepeda insisted that citizen participation is essential to consolidate a legislative majority that supports the social transformations proposed by his political project.
Fellow senator Maria Jose Pizarro, director of debate for Cepeda’s campaign, questioned that “some polling station members are offering the primary ballot,” something that, she argued, they cannot do unless the voter expressly requests it. In this regard, Pizarro criticized this situation and warned about the “fear of some voters” in the United States of going to vote because of ICE’s anti-immigration raids.
Votó dos veces: una por la lista del @PactoCol al Senado y otra por la lista del Pacto Histórico a la cámara por Bogotá.
“Nosotros actuamos en democracia y vigilamos con Democracia”@IvanCepedaCast pic.twitter.com/bkV7oJxrJn
— Jorge Rojas Rodríguez (@jorgerojas2022) March 8, 2026
A political scenario marked by controversy
The exclusion of Ivan Cepeda from the inter-party primary generated tensions within the left-wing political spectrum and opened a debate over the interpretation of electoral rules. CNE made the decision after analyzing the process through which the senator was chosen as the presidential candidate within his own political movement.
According to the body, that procedure was legally considered a prior inter-party primary, which prevented his participation in another consultation of the same type within the same electoral cycle.
The decision sparked criticism among sectors close to the candidate, who believe the measure altered the political balance within progressive coalitions. However, the electoral process moved forward with the consultations scheduled for this Sunday alongside the legislative elections.
Amid this context, Cepeda chose to focus his message on the importance of the parliamentary vote and on the need to build political majorities in Congress.
This Sunday’s election day is seen by analysts and political parties as a test of strength for the country’s different ideological currents. The result will not only define the composition of the Legislative branch but will also serve as an indicator of the electoral backing of the main political blocs ahead of the presidential race.
Meanwhile, the left-wing candidate reiterated his call for citizens to participate massively at the polls and cast a conscious vote that, he said, would help advance toward a Congress that represents the country’s social demands.