A divided voter will choose the next president of Colombia in Sunday’s race against a conservative outsider, both candidates ran into fears of an internal resurgence in the country as they represent “two extreme sides,” one Colombian said.
“Right now, what worries me is the division between us: there are two very dangerous sides, and the violence is concerning,” said John Manrique, a lawyer in Colombia’s capital, Bogota. “What I hope is that people accept who won … Let’s not go out and fight.”
More than 41 million people are eligible to vote on Sunday. Voters will choose between Iván Cepeda, a far-left senator, and the ruling Pacto Histórico party’s candidate, who is also the heir apparent The policies of President Gustavo Petroand Abelardo de la Espriella, a right-wing lawyer who has measured his speech and optics behind President Trump and Nayib Bukele from El Salvador. Their race in Colombia’s top presidential election is headed for a run after Cepeda an Espriella defeated nine other candidates on May 31.
Both outlined strategies that they said would prevent the South American country from dealing with unrelenting violence, such as car bombings, kidnappings, disappearances and forced expulsions of Colombians over the past decades.
De la Espriella proposes a difficult path that has won the approval of President Trump.
But Petro told CBS News earlier this month that he saw Trump’s approval as an act of meddling, accusing Washington of abandoning its anti-drug partnership for ideological reasons. He also warned that Colombia would see a wave of political violence if the right took power.
The Colombian president had previously said in a social media post, where he endorsed de la Espriella, that the results of his country’s elections “are very important for the future of Colombia and its relationship with the United States.”
AP photo
Cepeda promises to continue Petro’s efforts, including efforts to establish a dialogue with many illegal armed groups, although those efforts have largely failed.
The two candidates offer different solutions to the country’s struggling health system, public debt and entrenched corruption.
The President also questioned the election results
In the first round, Cepeda received 41% of the vote, while de la Espriella received 44%, according to official results. Petro, without evidence, cast doubt on the results after Cepeda, who had always been leading in the polls before the May vote, did not win outright and finished behind de la Espriella.
Petro reiterated his allegations on Sunday.
“We have to secure the vote, without a doubt,” he said shortly before the polls opened.
His force will provide information on “all accounts and funds made abroad,” Petro added. The actors, who he did not identify, “tried to enslave the Colombian people by depriving them of their freedom of decision.”
Polls will remain open until 4pm on Sunday.
Yolanda Hernández, 49, voted early, before she started selling black ink pens outside a Bogota polling station. He said clients buy pens because the ink won’t rub off on ballot papers, which reduces the chances of fraud.
Hernández, who recycles garbage for a living, voted for Petro in 2022, but voted for de la Espriella this time. Although he admitted that Petro could not fulfill the promises he intended to help the poor due to the interruption of the conference, he said that Colombia will not be able to pay for another four years under his vision for the country.
“We want change in Colombia because it’s always the same violence, it’s always the same thing,” said Hernández. “(Petro) said he will reduce the cost of utilities, he said he will reduce the price of food, and everything is more expensive.”
The nation is suffering from the fighting of rebel groups
The election comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, that had offered hope of ending a vicious cycle of fighting between rebel groups and the government.
But violence has returned, especially as most rebel groups abandon their war motivated by the notion of financial gain from drug trafficking.
AP Photo/Fernando Vergara 
Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 killings, most of them since at least 2015 and driven by conflicts between illegal armed groups. Of those killed there were Miguel Uribe honored by the president. Robbery has also increased, reaching 13,417 cases in 2025, more than double the number recorded in 2015.
De la Espriella, a political newcomer nicknamed “The Tiger,” has promised to go after criminals with his power of 10 prisons, emulating the policies of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele that have reduced the murder rate but fueled allegations of human rights abuses.
Cepeda wants to continue Petro’s tough signing plan to achieve “total peace” by negotiating deals with terrorists and gangs. The much-criticized plan Petro launched in 2022 until Thursday saw the first armed group – one with about 100 members – give up their weapons and begin a resettlement process that will lead to their return to civilian life. Colombia’s illegal gangs have more than 27,000 members.
Fernando Lozano, 34, decided to vote for the first time in ten years because of the very different proposals between Cepeda and de la Espriella, especially their intentions to deal with armed groups.
“Anyone can think that it is not a bad thing to be able to end all this at once. But it is not as easy as it seems,” said Lozano, adding that the fighting method has already failed before and could lead to more violence if it tries again. “You can’t just go there and confront them and expect everything to be resolved in six months. That takes years.”
Yamile Guevara, a retired teacher in Bogota, said Petro’s plans need more time to produce results as he would not be expected to make lasting changes in an issue that has dragged on for sixty years. He also criticized what he described as a lingering distrust of Colombia because of its long-standing relationship with the rebels.
“The left has always been looked down upon; it has been brutal, and many people have died,” said Guevara, a Cepeda fan. “So, one wonders what is wrong with people who have forgotten history … how can they think clearly about which candidate to choose?”
This led to the continuation of the competition and increased verbal attacks between the candidates as well as accusations of fraud, vote buying and intimidation.
Cepeda filed a complaint with the Colombian Attorney General’s Office and the International Criminal Court against de la Espriella, accusing him of having ties to armed groups. De la Espriella denied the allegations.
