The funeral rites for former Vice President German Vargas Lleras, who died in Bogota this Friday after suffering from a painful illness (a brain tumor and cancer treatments), will begin this Saturday in the country’s capital. Details of the ceremonies were provided by the family of the politician who held several high offices within the structure of the State.
In the early hours of this Saturday, May 9, it became known that the wake ceremonies will take place in the Bolivar Hall of the San Carlos Palace, a historic site located in downtown Bogota. A first farewell ceremony will be held this Saturday, May 9, between 3:00 in the afternoon and 7:00 at night.
Later, on Sunday, May 10, the venue will reopen its doors from 10:00 in the morning until 6:00 in the evening to receive relatives, political leaders, friends and citizens. Attendance is expected to be massive, since Vargas Lleras was a prominent politician and led one of the country’s most important political parties: Radical Change.
Vargas Lleras had faced a complex health condition for years. In April 2025, the Santa Fe Foundation confirmed that he underwent scheduled neurosurgery in Bogota. But months later he continued medical procedures in Houston (United States). He later returned to Bogota.
“The Santa Fe Foundation of Bogota deeply regrets the death of Dr. German Vargas Lleras, who during the last weeks was under our clinical care through home attention,” the institution said in a statement. It also indicated that the announcement was issued in agreement with the political leader’s family, and extended a message of condolences amid the mourning over his death.
Weeks before the death of the political leader, his only daughter, Clemencia Vargas Umana, had shared a moving image on her social media accompanied by the message “My loves.” In the photograph, Vargas Lleras appears seated and wearing a cap while staring fixedly at his grandson, who is also looking toward him in a family scene.
The publication began circulating again because many consider it one of the last personal and family images of the Radical Change leader before the definitive deterioration of his health condition.
President Petro mourns the death of German Vargas Lleras
The death of Vargas Lleras provoked, as expected, a wave of reactions from different sectors, mainly political figures, who lamented his passing.
Even President Gustavo Petro, of whom Vargas Lleras was a fierce opponent, sent a message through the social network X. “I regret the passing of German Vargas Lleras. Both in the Senate and during the electoral campaign, he behaved like a gladiator. Generally my adversary, I regret that his seriousness in debate disappears. I send my deepest condolences to his family,” the president wrote.
In referring to him as a “gladiator,” the president is right, because Vargas Lleras held different positions within the structure of the State: secretary general of the Liberal Party, Bogota city councilman, senator of the Republic elected for four consecutive terms, twice minister of State, vice president of the Republic and twice candidate for the Presidency.
In recent years, the former vice president had become one of the strongest critics of the Petro government, especially regarding issues related to the economy, security and healthcare. Despite those differences, it drew attention that the president highlighted his “seriousness in debate.”
Indeed, regardless of political color, Colombia has just lost a figure who elevated democratic debate, now impoverished by polarization and by the limited abilities of many actors who see fighting and social media as the only way to obtain votes. Democracy also loses a figure who helped uphold it.