Colombia Election Heads to Runoff: Right-Leaning Outsider Versus Leftist Ally of President

Lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, who was trailing in the polls, came out ahead but failed to secure a 50 percent majority.

(Left) Colombia's presidential candidate from the ruling party Pacto Historico, Ivan Cepeda, speaks after voting at a polling station during the presidential election in Bogota, Colombia, on May 31, 2026. (Right) Colombia's presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, of the Salvadores de la Patria movement, arrives to vote at a polling station during the presidential election in Barranquilla, Colombia, on May 31, 2026. Raul Arboleda, Vanessa Romero/AFP via Getty Images

Colombia’s presidential election on May 31 yielded no clear winner and is now headed to a runoff on June 21.

No candidate secured an outright majority—more than 50 percent—in the first round of voting, sending the two leading candidates to a runoff, although outgoing leftist President Gustavo Petro is challenging the results.