Colombia Presidential Election 2026: The May 31 First Round
COLOMBIA · ELECTIONS
Key Facts
—The vote. Colombia holds the first round of its presidential election on Sunday, May 31, with 41.4 million citizens eligible to vote.
—The infrastructure. Polling stations open from 8am to 4pm local time across 13,742 sites and 120,527 mesas in Colombia, plus 253 sites in 67 countries abroad.
—The race. Pre-election polls placed Senator Ivan Cepeda, lawyer Abelardo De la Espriella, and Senator Paloma Valencia as the three leading candidates in a contest widely expected to require a runoff.
—The runoff schedule. A second round, if needed, takes place on June 21, with the new president and vice-president serving the 2026 to 2030 term.
—Latin American impact. Colombia is the third-largest Spanish-speaking economy in the region after Mexico and Argentina, and the outcome reshapes Andean alignment.
Colombians vote Sunday in a Colombia presidential election that closes the term of President Gustavo Petro and opens a contest with no clear first-round winner. The Registraduria Nacional opened 13,742 polling stations at 8am local time across the country, with results expected after the 4pm close. A second round is scheduled for June 21 if no candidate clears 50 percent plus one vote.
How the Colombia presidential election works
The Registraduria Nacional del Estado Civil opened polls at 8am local time across all of Colombia. The schedule closes at 4pm. Voters present either the yellow holographic citizen card or its digital equivalent through the official mobile application.
Of the 41,421,973 registered voters, 40,007,312 cast their ballots inside Colombia and 1,414,661 vote abroad. The international vote opened on Monday, May 25, and runs until polls close on Sunday at consulates across 67 countries.
A candidate needs 50 percent plus one of valid votes to win outright in the first round. If no candidate clears that bar, the top two go to a runoff on June 21. The new president takes office on August 7 for the 2026 to 2030 term.
The candidates entering the Colombia presidential election
Fourteen candidates were registered before the March 13 deadline. Pre-election surveys consistently placed three in the leading positions: Senator Ivan Cepeda for the ruling Pacto Historico coalition, lawyer Abelardo De la Espriella as an independent right-wing candidate, and Senator Paloma Valencia for the Centro Democratico.
An Invamer survey for Noticias Caracol and Blu Radio in mid-May placed Cepeda at 44.6 percent, De la Espriella at 31.6 percent, and Valencia at 14 percent. Other surveys from AtlasIntel, Guarumo, and the Centro Nacional de Consultoria showed tighter ranges, particularly between De la Espriella and Valencia for the second runoff slot.
Other registered candidates include former minister Mauricio Lizcano backed by Alianza Social Independiente and Senator Clara Lopez under the Esperanza Democratica banner. President Gustavo Petro is constitutionally barred from immediate re-election.
Security measures around the Colombia presidential election
The Defence Ministry activated a national security plan that includes ley seca, a temporary prohibition on alcohol sales, alongside restrictions on the carrying of firearms during the voting window. Both measures are standard for Colombian general elections.
Bogota alone hosts 6,101,479 eligible voters at 1,083 polling stations with 17,262 mesas across the city’s 20 localidades. The capital concentrates almost 15 percent of the entire national electorate.
The Registraduria designated 124,011 citizens in Bogota as jurados de votacion, the polling-station officials. The figure scales nationally to roughly 800,000 jurados, drawn from public employees, students, and randomly selected citizens.
International observation of the Colombia presidential election
The European Union deployed an Election Observation Mission at the invitation of Colombian authorities. The mission has been on the ground since the March 8 legislative vote and remains in place through the May 31 first round and a potential June 21 runoff.
Observer teams from the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Union of Electoral Organisms, and bilateral missions from several Latin American countries are also accredited. The contest is among the most internationally observed elections in the region this cycle.
Preliminary results begin flowing on the Registraduria platform from shortly after the 4pm close. Final certified results follow over the subsequent days through the Consejo Nacional Electoral.
More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Regional stakes of the Colombia presidential election
Colombia is the third-largest Spanish-speaking economy in Latin America, trailing Mexico and Argentina. The country is also the region’s second-largest oil exporter after Brazil and a strategic hub for trade between Pacific and Atlantic markets.
Bilateral relationships with the United States and Venezuela are among the dossiers each candidate has addressed differently in the campaign. The new administration also inherits negotiations over coca-eradication funding, Pacific Alliance reform, and Andean Community trade.
Colombian government bonds and the peso have traded inside narrow ranges through the campaign’s closing weeks. Market expectations have priced in a runoff scenario as the base case for several weeks ahead of Sunday’s vote.
When do Colombia’s polls close?
At 4pm local time across all of Colombia. International polls close at 4pm local time at each consulate site.
When is the runoff if needed?
June 21, three weeks after the first round. The new president and vice-president take office on August 7 for the 2026 to 2030 term.
How many people can vote?
41,421,973 citizens are registered. Of these, 40,007,312 vote inside Colombia and 1,414,661 vote at 253 consulate sites across 67 countries.
Why can’t Petro run again?
Colombia’s constitution prohibits immediate presidential re-election. President Gustavo Petro, elected in 2022, completes his single four-year term on August 7.
Who are the leading candidates?
Pre-election polls placed three candidates in the leading positions: Ivan Cepeda for the Pacto Historico, Abelardo De la Espriella as an independent, and Paloma Valencia for the Centro Democratico. Fourteen candidates are on the ballot.
For regional context, see our coverage of Brazilian F-39 Gripen deployment to Anapolis with Colombia in the exercise. For the wider macro picture, read our piece on the Banxico 2026 growth forecast cut.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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