Overview
- No candidate won a majority in the May 31 first round, leaving Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda to face each other in a June 21 runoff that will decide Colombia's next president.
- De la Espriella formally asked prosecutors to probe claims that rebel groups coerced votes for Cepeda in scores of remote municipalities, citing unusually high vote shares in those areas and filing the complaint on June 9.
- A European Union electoral observation mission said it received complaints that voters were pressured by government officials and illegal armed groups, though the mission did not assign those complaints to a specific candidate.
- Cepeda said he will respect the runoff result but warned he could call supporters to stage peaceful protests if voting rights are violated, and he signaled openness to adjusting President Petro's peace strategy rather than abandoning dialogue.
- The campaign is unfolding against a surge in guerrilla and cartel violence, rising rural armed-group control, and sharp policy stakes between negotiating 'total peace' and a hardline security crackdown that has drawn international attention including President Trump's endorsement of de la Espriella.