Overview
- Voters went to the polls on June 21 in a runoff between Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda that is being framed as a choice between a military‑first crackdown and continuation of the 'total peace' negotiation strategy.
- De la Espriella, who led the May first round, campaigned on airstrikes, a broad military offensive, mega‑prisons and bigger defence budgets and has won an endorsement from President Donald Trump while polls and markets gave him a narrow edge.
- Cepeda ran as the political heir to President Gustavo Petro’s Historic Pact and pledged to keep and recalibrate peace talks, and he filed formal complaints with Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office and the International Criminal Court accusing de la Espriella of paramilitary links.
- Record violence is central to the contest: authorities reported about 14,780 homicides in 2025 and more than 27,000 members in illegal armed groups, facts that fuel the security debate and raise fears of voter intimidation and disputed results.
- International observers and the U.S. role are in focus because the outcome will affect counternarcotics cooperation, investor confidence and ordinary Colombians’ safety and livelihoods as any new government must balance military action, social spending and strained public finances.