Colombia: Former Senator Cabal Joins Republican Party Two Days After Uribe Exit
POLITICS · COLOMBIA
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, about 53 million people, elected the right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella president in June 2026. He took office on 7 August.
- —What happened On Saturday, 3 October 2026, former senator María Fernanda Cabal joined the Partido Republicano in Bucaramanga, two days after quitting Centro Democrático.
- —Who is involved Cabal; the family of the late Rodolfo Hernández, who founded the party in 2022; and Senator Jota Pe Hernández, who attended but is still in another party.
- —What it means for you No votes in Congress change, because Cabal gave up her seat in June. Voters will see a new right-wing label in the 2027 regional elections.
- —Still open Whether Jota Pe Hernández can join without breaching the ban on double party membership, and who the party will field in 2027.
Colombia’s former senator María Fernanda Cabal joins Republican Party ranks, two days after leaving former president Álvaro Uribe’s Centro Democrático. She was presented as the first member of the renamed Partido Republicano on Saturday, 3 October, in Bucaramanga.
The party is the former Liga de Gobernantes Anticorrupción, founded by the late Rodolfo Hernández. La Silla Vacía, Semana, Noticias Caracol and Infobae all reported the move.
Why Cabal joins Republican Party now
Cabal quit Centro Democrático on the evening of 1 October, as The Rio Times reported on 2 October. She said a formal request to split from the party, filed in August, was never answered.
The rift dates from the party’s choice of Paloma Valencia as its 2026 presidential candidate. Cabal later said she was “never in Uribe’s heart”, while Uribe answered her exit with a single line of respect.
At first she planned a movement of her own, with possible names such as “Guardianes de la Libertad”. Instead she chose a party that already holds legal registration.
What the Partido Republicano is
Rodolfo Hernández, a former mayor of Bucaramanga, founded the Liga in 2022 after losing the presidential runoff to Gustavo Petro. He died in 2024, according to Noticias Caracol.
The National Electoral Council (CNE), which registers parties, approved the new name in August. Infobae dated the decision to 18 August.
La Silla Vacía reported that it was the first party to declare itself a government party under De la Espriella. Semana noted that a group born with a centrist profile is now courting the new right.
Cabal thanked Hernández’s widow and his son Rodolfo José, who she said had invited her. She also thanked the party’s director, Camilo Larios, Infobae reported.
A “new right” aimed at 2027 and 2030
“I accepted to be the first member of this new stage of the Republican Party,” Cabal wrote on X, as quoted by Semana. “From here I will lead a new right with character.”
She listed private property, the family, free markets and support for the security forces as core themes. Her stated targets are the 2027 regional elections and the 2030 presidential race.
Cabal told Noticias Caracol her 207,000 votes had won Centro Democrático two extra Senate seats. That figure is her own claim and was not broken down by the broadcaster.
Unity or a split on the right
Not everyone on the right welcomed the move. Former congressman Miguel Polo Polo said she should have joined Defensores de la Patria, a group linked to the president.
“The homeland is above egos,” he wrote on X, according to Infobae. He argued that one more right-wing platform could deepen divisions in that camp.
The counterweight is that the new party backs the government rather than opposing it. Cabal told Noticias Caracol that “many of us connect with the same ideas” and that others would follow her in.
What Is Not Yet Known
Senator Jota Pe Hernández attended the launch and is credited with the new name, the eagle emblem and the colours. He formally remains in the Alianza Verde, and joining now would breach Colombia’s ban on double membership. La Silla Vacía reported that the Greens have approved an expulsion procedure he requested as a way out.
It is not known whether sitting Centro Democrático lawmakers will follow Cabal. The party has not yet named any candidates for the 2027 regional elections.
Sources: La Silla Vacía, 3 October 2026; Semana, 4 October 2026; Noticias Caracol, 3 October 2026; Infobae, 4 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief