Colombians cast ballots Sunday in a deeply polarizing presidential runoff that will determine whether the nation doubles down on dialogue with armed groups or pivots to a hardline security approach that human rights advocates warn could repeat past abuses. The choice between progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda and conservative business owner Abelardo de la Espriella comes as violence has surged to levels not seen in years, with both candidates promising to address a crisis that disproportionately affects the country's most vulnerable communities.
The runoff follows a May 31 first-round vote in which de la Espriella earned 44% and Cepeda garnered 41%, according to official results. More than 41 million people are eligible to vote, with polls remaining open until 4 p.m. The election unfolds against a backdrop of renewed internal conflict, a struggling health system, ballooning public debt, and entrenched corruption that has left many Colombians feeling abandoned by their institutions.
Violence Returns After Peace Pact
The election comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, that had offered hope to break the nation's vicious cycle of fighting. But violence has since roared back, particularly as most rebel groups abandoned their ideologically driven fight for the financial benefits of drug trafficking. Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides, the most since at least 2015 and driven by clashes among illegal armed groups. Among those killed was conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe. Extortions have also soared, reaching 13,417 cases in 2025, more than double the number tallied in 2015.
Cepeda, heir to the political movement of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, the nation's first leftist leader, 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.
Hardline Approach Raises Rights Concerns
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 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.
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."
Fraud Allegations and Polarization
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."
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. Yolanda Hernández, 49, 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. Hernández, 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."
John Manrique, a lawyer in the capital, Bogota, said as he walked his dog: "Right now, what worries me is the polarization that exists between us: there are two very extreme sides, and the violence is concerning. What I hope is that people accept who won. Let's accept it, regardless of the side, and try to reach a social consensus. … Let's not go out and fight."
Why This Matters:
Colombia's presidential runoff will determine the fate of millions living under the threat of violence, extortion, and displacement—burdens that fall heaviest on poor and marginalized communities. The choice between continuing dialogue-based peacebuilding, however imperfect, and adopting a hardline security model linked to human rights abuses in other countries represents fundamentally different visions for protecting civil liberties while addressing public safety. With homicides at their highest level in over a decade and extortions more than doubling, the next administration will face urgent demands for both security and respect for democratic norms. The outcome will also test whether Colombia's institutions can withstand fraud allegations and polarization, or whether distrust in electoral processes will further erode the democratic foundations needed to address the country's intertwined crises of violence, inequality, and corruption. For working-class Colombians like Hernández, who recycles trash for a living, the stakes involve not just safety but access to affordable services and economic opportunity.