Colombia Votes on Outgoing President Petro's Legacy
Colombia held a presidential election on Sunday. The vote is seen as a judgment on outgoing President Gustavo Petro.
Petro was Colombia's first left-wing leader. Three main candidates are competing to replace him.
Iván Cepeda represents Petro's left-wing coalition. Paloma Valencia is a conservative senator.
Abelardo de la Espriella is an independent outsider and lawyer. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote a runoff will be held on June 21 2026.
The election came after months of public clashes between Petro and US President Donald Trump. Trump imposed sanctions on Petro and cancelled his visa in September 2025.
The dispute was over drug control policy. This badly damaged relations between the US and Colombia.
Ten years before this election Colombia signed a peace deal with the FARC rebel group. That deal shaped Colombian politics in the years since.
Key Terms 4
- referendum A vote that judges whether people approve of something
- runoff A second vote held when no candidate wins more than half
- sanctions Penalties one country places on another to force change
- FARC A Colombian rebel group that fought the government for decades