The key issues in this presidential election:
Around 41.4 million Colombians are eligible to vote in the first round of the presidential election, including 1.4 million living abroad.
- Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist candidate Iván Cepeda will face off in the June 21 runoff, after neither secured the absolute majority needed to win outright.
- With 99.21% of polling stations reporting, De la Espriella leads with more than 10 million votes (43.70%), followed by Cepeda with more than 9.6 million votes (40.93%) — scores that place both candidates well beyond the reach of their rivals.
- With less than 7% of the vote, the result is a crushing defeat for traditional right-wing candidate Paloma Valencia, backed by former President Álvaro Uribe, who has since endorsed De la Espriella.
- De la Espriella, who has expressed ideological affinity with Donald Trump's vision, has also received congratulations from Argentine President Javier Milei.
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro has refused to accept the preliminary results, alleging irregularities in the vote count without providing evidence.
Here are the key moments from Colombia's presidential first round, reported by our France 24 Spanish team in Bogotá.
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Thank you to all our readers who followed our live coverage of Colombia’s presidential election. This live blog was coordinated by Léa Hurel and Julián Ramírez Castro from our newsroom in Bogotá.
Colombia's election night ends in mutual recrimination
Election day closed with fiery speeches from both candidates who qualified for Colombia's presidential runoff.
- Human rights defender and leftist candidate Iván Cepeda launched a scathing attack on his far-right rival, accusing him of being a "crook among crooks and drug traffickers" and of embodying the consolidation of a "mafioso fascism."
- For his part, Abelardo de la Espriella called the outgoing president a "delinquent," and declared: "We will finish writing the definitive chapter of history on June 21, when we return to the polls to defeat Gustavo Petro and the bandit Iván Cepeda."
(AP Photo)
A country divided: Colombia's far-right and left face off June 21
Colombia's first round closed amid accusations of irregularities from leftist candidate Iván Cepeda and outgoing President Gustavo Petro, while far-right outsider Abelardo de la Espriella vowed to defend the results "by force."
Colombians will return to the polls on June 21 to choose between two diametrically opposed political visions: a candidate who promises to deepen the social reforms launched under President Petro, and another who pledges to crack down on security with an iron-fist approach.
In the three weeks ahead, both candidates face the challenge of winning over the moderate voters behind the roughly 2.2 million ballots cast for neither the far-right nor the left.
With 99.99% of preliminary results reported, Colombia is heading to a runoff.
Argentina's Milei congratulates De la Espriella on X
Argentine President Javier Milei took to his X account to congratulate Abelardo de la Espriella following his first-round lead in Colombia's presidential election.
De la Espriella warns: "We will defend democracy with reason or with force"
Speaking from Barranquilla after leading the first round, Abelardo de la Espriella called on democratic nations to "protect the elections in the second round." Surrounded by a heavy security detail, the far-right frontrunner highlighted his strong showing and closed his speech with a reference to his government program: "La Patria Milagro and its mandate will triumph."
Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defenders of the Motherland movement addresses supporters after leading the first round of the presidential election and advancing to a runoff in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Ivan Cepeda: "We will not speak about presidential vote until count verified"
Leftist candidate Iván Cepeda refrained from accepting the preliminary election results, saying there are reports of an undetermined number of polling stations showing atypical voting patterns. "Only when the scrutiny commissions have clarified this matter will we make a statement on the results," he said. "We will not hand Colombia over to fascism," he added, also calling on the country's youth to join his cause.
Presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition addresses supporters after advancing to a runoff election in second place in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Petro "Does Not Accept" Colombia's Preliminary Results
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would not accept the preliminary vote count, writing on his X account that he would wait for final official results. He also alleged irregularities, claiming that "hundreds of thousands of votes were added," and repeated earlier accusations about flaws in the counting and scrutiny software — without providing any evidence.
Former president Uribe throws support behind hardline De la Espriella
In an unexpectedly poor showing, former President Álvaro Uribe's party and his candidate secured just 6% of the vote, with 1,637,690 ballots cast in their favor. Following the result, Uribe announced his support for far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, joining other right-wing leaders across the country who have also thrown their weight behind the runoff frontrunner.
Paloma Valencia endorses De la Espriella for runoff
Finishing third in the first round, Paloma Valencia, the right-wing candidate backed by former President Álvaro Uribe, announced her support for Abelardo de la Espriella ahead of the June 21 runoff.
"I invite everyone to defeat Cepeda, to ensure that the neo-communism ruling this country does not continue," she told her supporters in Bogotá.
From the streets to the runoff: Iván Cepeda's Long March
Iván Cepeda Castro entered politics through Colombia's deepest wound: violence. The son of political leader Manuel Cepeda Vargas, assassinated by paramilitaries in 1994, he built his career as a human rights defender before reaching the Senate with the leftist Polo Democrático party.
"His profile is that of an ideologist rather than an administrator: he speaks in historical terms, mobilizes collective causes and builds his political identity around memory and 'pending justice.' The question surrounding his candidacy is not whether he can convince his base — he already has that — but whether he is capable of speaking to a Colombia that still mistrusts," says Simón Doncel, political consultant, speaking to France 24 in Spanish.
Presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition marks his ballot during the presidential election in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026.
De la Espriella calls on voters to celebrate in Barranquilla
Abelardo de la Espriella leads the first round with more than 10 million votes. A runoff has been scheduled for June 21, 2026. The candidate celebrated the results and invited his supporters to join him at a victory rally in Barranquilla, announcing it through a video on social media alongside his family.
First Round Results: Colombia
- More than 23 million people voted, representing approximately 56% of registered voters.
- Around 400,000 people cast blank ballots, accounting for 1.7% of the vote.
- An additional 240,000 cast invalid ballots, representing 1%.
- Electoral authorities stated that the voting day proceeded "normally and safely."
Supporters of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, of the Defenders of the Motherland movement, celebrate first-round election results in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
De la Espriella: From controversial lawyer to presidential frontrunner
"Abelardo de la Espriella has a very particular leadership style. His campaign persona draws on regional references: half Bukele, half Milei. He has carefully shaped his appearance to resemble Bukele, and mirrors him in his security discourse as well. And half Milei because of his ultra-liberal aspirations for state cuts — he calls himself 'El Tigre,' a clear nod to Milei's lion," explains Eugénie Richard, professor of political marketing and strategic communication at Colombia's Universidad Externado, speaking to France 24 in Spanish.
With 98% of votes reported by Colombia's National Civil Registry, Abelardo de la Espriella has secured 10,192,087 votes — 43% of the total — confirming his place in the June 21 runoff against leftist candidate Iván Cepeda.
Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defenders of the Motherland movement (Defensores de la Patria) arrives to vote during the presidential election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026
Colombia: Far-Right and Left head to runoff
With 92% of votes counted, the trend is clear: far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella leads with more than 9,515,000 votes, followed by leftist candidate Iván Cepeda with 8,977,429. The two candidates will face off in a runoff on June 21, 2026.
Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defenders of the Motherland (Defensores de la patria) movement depart a polling station after voting during the presidential election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, May 31, 2026.
Colombia's Regional Vote: A divided country
Early results show a clear regional divide. Leftist candidate Iván Cepeda leads in Bogotá, the capital, as well as along the northern Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast. Far-right outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, meanwhile, holds the advantage in Medellín and the Santander region.
Source: Colombia's National Civil Registry (Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil), as of 5:13 PM Bogotá time.
Colombia heads to Runoff: De la Espriella vs. Cepeda
With more than 71% of votes counted, results point to a runoff in Colombia's presidential race. Leftist candidate Iván Cepeda and far-right outsider Abelardo de la Espriella are set to face off in a second round, as neither candidate has secured the majority needed to win outright.
De la Espriella leads with 4.4 million votes with 48% counted
Right-wing outsider Abelardo de la Espriella leads Colombia's presidential count with more than 4.4 million votes. Oficialista candidate Iván Cepeda trails by roughly 300,000 votes, according to the National Registry.
De La Espriella and Cepeda lead with 22% counted
With 22.57% of polling stations reporting, right-wing outsider Abelardo de la Espriella leads with more than 1,754,726 votes, followed closely by leftist candidate Iván Cepeda with 1,697,427, according to Colombia's National Registry.
Early Results: De la Espriella and Cepeda lead with 12% Counted
Leftist icon, millionaire lawyer, conservative senator: Who will be Colombia's next leader?
- The preliminary vote count is now underway, though less than 3% of results have been reported so far.
