COLOMBIA · POLITICS
Álvaro Uribe, Colombia’s president from 2002 to 2010, ruled out any electoral alliance with former president Gustavo Petro on Monday 9 November 2026. In a radio interview he said: “Eso nunca. Ese tema nunca ha existido” (“That never. That subject has never existed”).
Petro, who left office in August 2026, had proposed such a pact at a gathering in Medellín. Uribe is the founder and leading figure of the Centro Democrático (Democratic Centre), a conservative party in the coalition of President Abelardo de la Espriella.
For US readers, the split matters because De la Espriella’s governing coalition, which includes Uribe’s party, shapes tax and spending votes in Congress. Investors with Colombian assets watch how united that coalition stays.
Key Facts
- The rejection Former president Álvaro Uribe rejected any alliance with ex-president Gustavo Petro on Monday 9 November 2026.
- The offer Petro proposed an agreement with Uribe, including an electoral one, to defend Colombia’s Constitution.
- The party line Gabriel Vallejo Chujfi, Uribe’s party director, sees “no possibility” of deals with Petro for 2027.
- The coalition Uribe’s party backs President Abelardo de la Espriella and left room for specific tax agreements.
- Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.1 points (November 2026 edition).
What Happened
Uribe spoke on the same day that Colombia’s Constitutional Court declined to rule in a separate case against him. The Constitutional Court’s refusal to rule on the Uribe case leaves it, for now, with prosecutors.
Uribe said: “Nosotros somos partido de gobierno” (“We are a party of government”). He added that an alliance with Petro “will not enter the thematic menu of the Centro Democrático”.
Uribe left the door open to specific agreements with De la Espriella’s government, especially on tax matters. Gabriel Vallejo Chujfi, the party’s national director, said there is “no possibility” (“ninguna posibilidad”) of alliances or political agreements with Petro for the next elections in 2027.
What Petro Proposed
At a gathering in Medellín, called the “Primer Gran Encuentro Somos Resistencia” (First Great “We Are Resistance” Meeting), Petro proposed to Uribe an agreement, even an electoral one, to defend the Constitution. Petro is the former president and the most prominent figure of the Pacto Histórico, a left-wing movement.
Petro suggested coordinating against new taxes on food, and against measures that cut wages or working hours. Uribe’s answer rejects any alliance.
Why It Matters
The question is live because of a Senate vote on 20 July 2026. The Senate of Colombia elected Honorio Henríquez, a Centro Democrático senator, as its president for 2026-27 with 56 votes to 45 for Alfredo Deluque.
Deluque was the candidate backed by then president-elect De la Espriella. Petro’s Pacto Histórico said it voted for Henríquez.
Uribe’s statement now separates routine contact in Congress from any political alliance. It does not rule out specific agreements with the government on tax matters.
What to Watch Next
No dated checkpoint has been announced for this exchange. The open points are how Uribe’s party votes on tax measures and how Petro’s Pacto Histórico responds.
Prosecutors, the Fiscalía, keep the Uribe case for now rather than the House of Representatives’ accusations commission. The Constitutional Court declined to rule (“se inhibió”) on a jurisdiction conflict over the El Aro and La Granja massacres, killings in Antioquia province in the 1990s.
What It Means for You
If you hold Colombian assets or do business there, the governing coalition is the body to follow, because it shapes tax and spending votes in Congress. Uribe’s party is part of it, and he left room for specific tax agreements.
Travellers and expats will see no change in daily life from this exchange. For the wider picture, see The Rio Times Latin America Power Index and our report on the Supreme Court probe of Petro.
What Is Not Known
It is not known which elections Petro’s proposal covers. It is described as aimed at the 2027 vote, widely understood as regional elections, but not every account confirms this.
It is also not known whether Petro will answer Uribe, or whether the Pacto Histórico and the Centro Democrático will vote together again in Congress. The full reasoning of the Constitutional Court is not known either.
More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Uribe Rule Out an Alliance With Petro?
Yes. On Monday 9 November 2026 Uribe said in a radio interview that an alliance with Petro will never happen and will not enter his party’s agenda.
What Did Petro Propose?
At a gathering in Medellín, Petro proposed an agreement with Uribe, even an electoral one, to defend the Constitution. He named new food taxes and measures that cut wages or working hours as shared concerns.
Is Uribe’s Party in Government?
Yes. Uribe said the Centro Democrático backed Abelardo de la Espriella in the presidential runoff and belongs to his governing coalition.
Sources: Álvaro Uribe radio interview, 9 November 2026; Gustavo Petro public statements in Medellín and on X; Centro Democrático national director Gabriel Vallejo Chujfi; Senate of Colombia, senado.gov.co (election of its president, 20 July 2026); Constitutional Court of Colombia, ruling on the jurisdiction conflict in the Uribe case.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error