Colombian voters faced a stark choice Sunday between a business-oriented conservative promising aggressive action against criminal gangs and a progressive lawmaker pledging to continue a peace strategy that has largely failed to stem rising violence. More than 41 million eligible voters will decide whether business owner and lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella or lawmaker Iván Cepeda, heir to outgoing President Gustavo Petro's political movement, will lead the deeply divided South American nation.
The runoff comes as Colombia grapples with surging violence that has shattered hopes from a peace agreement signed 10 years ago. Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides, the most since at least 2015, driven by clashes among illegal armed groups. Extortions reached 13,417 cases in 2025, more than double the number tallied in 2015. Among those killed was conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe.
Competing Visions on Security
De la Espriella, a political newcomer nicknamed "The Tiger," has promised to fiercely go after criminals and build 10 mega-prisons, emulating the policies of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele that have lowered homicide rates but have fueled accusations of human rights abuses. The approach has earned him the endorsement of U.S. President Donald Trump. Cepeda wants to carry on Petro's fraught signature plan to achieve "total peace" by negotiating pacts with guerrillas and criminal gangs.
The heavily criticized strategy that Petro kicked off in 2022 took until Thursday to see the first armed group—one with about 100 members—give up its weapons and begin a resettlement process that will lead to their reintegration into civilian life. Colombia's illegal groups have more than 27,000 members. The two candidates defeated nine other contenders in a May 31 vote. In the first round, de la Espriella garnered 44% of the vote, while Cepeda earned 41%, according to official results.
Economic Concerns and Fraud Allegations
The two candidates also are offering differing solutions for the country's struggling health system, ballooning public debt and entrenched corruption. Yolanda Hernández, 49, who recycles trash for a living, voted for Petro in 2022 but cast her ballot for de la Espriella this time. While she acknowledged that Petro was unable to deliver on promises meant to help the poor because of congressional gridlock, she said Colombia cannot afford another four years under his vision for the country. "We want change in Colombia because it's always the same violence, always the same thing," Hernández said. "(Petro) said he was going to lower the cost of services, that he was going to lower the price of food, and everything is more expensive."
Petro, without evidence, sowed doubts in the results after Cepeda, who had consistently lead polls ahead of the May vote, did not win outright and even finished behind de la Espriella. Petro reiterated his allegations on Sunday. "We must protect the vote, undoubtedly," he said shortly before polls opened. His movement will provide details about "all the accounts and funds that were transacted from abroad," Petro added. Actors, whom he did not identify, "tried to enslave the people of Colombia by taking away their freedom to decide."
Polarization and Violence Fears
The lead-up to the runoff has seen an increase in verbal attacks between the candidates as well as accusations of fraud, vote-buying and intimidation. Cepeda filed a complaint with the Colombian Attorney General's Office and the International Criminal Court against de la Espriella, accusing him of having ties to paramilitary groups. De la Espriella has denied the accusation.
"Right now, what worries me is the polarization that exists between us: there are two very extreme sides, and the violence is concerning," John Manrique, a lawyer in the capital, Bogota, said as he walked his dog. "What I hope is that people accept who won," he added. "Let's accept it, regardless of the side, and try to reach a social consensus. … Let's not go out and fight."
Fernando Lozano, 34, decided to vote for the first time in a decade because of the vastly different proposals between Cepeda and de la Espriella, particularly the latter's intentions to face off with armed groups. "Anyone would think it's not a bad thing to be able to end all this once and for all. But it's not as easy as it seems," Lozano said, adding that the combative approach already failed before and could only lead to more violence if tried again. "You can't just go there and confront them and expect everything to be resolved in six months. That takes years."
Polls will remain open until 4 p.m. Hernández voted early Sunday before she started selling black-ink pens outside a Bogota voting center. Clients, she said, buy the pens because ink cannot be erased from paper ballots, which reduces the possibility of fraud.
Why This Matters:
Colombia's choice between a business-focused conservative and a progressive heir to a struggling leftist administration carries significant implications for regional stability and economic policy. The election unfolds against a backdrop of deteriorating security, with homicides at their highest level in over a decade and extortion cases more than doubling in ten years. Petro's negotiation-based peace strategy has yielded minimal results after four years, disarming just 100 fighters while more than 27,000 remain in illegal armed groups. The outcome will determine whether Colombia pursues aggressive law enforcement measures or continues dialogue with criminal organizations, with direct consequences for investor confidence, public safety, and the country's ballooning public debt. The unsubstantiated fraud allegations from the outgoing president raise concerns about institutional stability and the peaceful transfer of power in Latin America's fourth-largest economy.