Colombia votes: 40 million choose Petro’s successor in polarized election

Colombians began voting on Monday in a high‑stakes presidential election that will determine the successor to outgoing President Gustavo Petro. More than 40 million eligible voters are expected to cast ballots, with the country deeply polarised over public safety, corruption, and the collapse of Petro’s “Total Peace” initiative. Ten candidates are on the ballot, but polls suggest three main contenders have a viable path to the almost certain June 21 runoff.

Three leading contenders

Iván Cepeda, a senator running under the ruling Pacto Histórico coalition, represents continuity for Petro’s progressive base. Abelardo de la Espriella, a populist from Salvación Nacional, has surged by channelling anti‑establishment anger and promising an iron‑fist approach to crime. Paloma Valencia, backed by former President Álvaro Uribe’s Centro Democrático, balances traditional conservative platforms with a socially moderate vice‑presidential pick to attract centrists. With the conservative vote split between de la Espriella and Valencia, preliminary results will determine whether the traditional right or a new populist wave advances to challenge the leftist coalition.