On March 8, Colombians went to the polls to elect their representatives to the legislature for the 2026-2030 term. Colombian voters also cast their ballots in the presidential primaries (also known as “inter-party consultations”) that determined who will be the candidates vying for the presidency of the Republic on May 31.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, of the Pacto Histórico party (Historic Pact), has focused his presidential term on the promotion of labor and health reforms that seek to give workers greater protections. Such efforts, in addition to his role in promoting left politics locally and maintaining a progressive stance internationally, has made him the target of fierce attacks from the right, which on several occasions has coincided with an onslaught from the international right. Petro has on several occasions butt heads with US President Donald Trump, even earning the revocation of his visa in September 2025.

And although tensions appear to have eased significantly following the meeting between Petro and Trump, Colombia’s right wing, which has governed for practically the entire history of the bicentennial republic, has not given up on its efforts to undermine Petro’s project, Colombia’s first progressive government, and prevent it from winning a second term.

However, some polls indicate that Petro has the approval of 49% of the Colombian electorate, which is unusual for a Latin American president who is about to leave office. This means that despite the enormous media campaign by the Colombian right and far right, “anti-Petroism” has not yet managed to establish itself as a decisive force.

For this reason, the March 8 elections were an important gauge of public opinion regarding the political future of Latin America’s fourth strongest economy (behind only Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina) and one of the continent’s most important geopolitical enclaves. However, there are still several weeks of campaigning left, and nothing is set in stone.

The Historic Pact increases its legislative representation

Despite the many challenges faced by Petro’s government, the center-left party, Historic Pact, managed to establish itself as the most voted political force in Colombia. In 2022, it won 22 seats in Congress, while in Sunday’s elections, it won 25 out of a possible 102. In this regard, Petro said: “There is no doubt that the Pacto swept the congressional elections. However, it is not an absolute majority.”

The second part of the Colombian president’s statement acknowledges that, despite the improved results, the situation is not ideal for the interests of Colombian progressive forces. This is because the enormous fragmentation of the vote prevents any single political force from achieving an absolute majority on its own, forcing negotiations that have led to obstruction in some cases and the boycott in others of legislative reforms that are fundamental to Petro and his political group.

The Colombian radical right-wing party, Centro Democrático, turned out to be the second most voted party, obtaining 17 seats (also improving on its 2022 results, where it obtained 13 seats). Centro Democrático is a party promoted and led by former president Álvaro Uribe, who ruled the country with an iron fist from 2002 to 2010 and has proven to be the most staunch and uncompromising opponent of Petro and the Colombian left.

Thus, it is likely that the presidency of the republic will be contested between Iván Cepeda for the Historic Pact, together with the forces it manages to bring together, and Paloma Valencia, running for the Centro Democrático with its historical allies. In this sense, the composition of Congress reflects the need for alliances and political moderation that the possible presidential winner will have to implement in the next executive term.

In this regard, historian Juan Carlos Flórez states: “In Colombia, there is always a gray mass of votes and politicians who help the elected government obtain majorities. And that happened with Petrismo at the beginning of this government. The Colombian electoral system is not designed for a political group to obtain a majority with only one party and forces alliances, which is a form of blackmail that leads to corruption.”

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