Her support is an independent vote based on trust and respect.
On Wednesday, Former Bogota mayor and presidential candidate Claudia Lopez announced her support for Ivan Cepeda, the candidate of the Historical Pact, ahead of the second round of the presidential elections in Colombia.
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She clarified that her support is not an automatic endorsement, but rather an independent vote based on trust and respect, highlighting Cepeda’s ethical and democratic track record.
In the first round, Lopez obtained 225,517 votes (0.95%), while Abelardo de la Espriella garnered 10.3 million (43.74%) and Cepeda 9.6 million (40.90%). She conditioned her support on three guarantees: fighting corruption, providing security and peace to the population, and presenting a new reform of the healthcare system to address the crisis.
Furthermore, Lopez emphasized that Cepeda pledged to accept the results of both rounds of voting, regardless of the outcome. The leftist candidate expressed his gratitude for the support, calling it a source of pride and satisfaction, and highlighted Lopez’s commitment to human rights.
Colombia is heading to a high-stakes presidential runoff after a surprise first-round result, with conservative Abelardo de la Espriella set to face leftist Iván Cepeda in a deeply polarised race.
Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti reports. pic.twitter.com/ftPqUMz9wi
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 2, 2026
He recalled that they have shared more than 30 years of social and political struggles, which reinforces the alignment between their projects. Lopez, for her part, reiterated that she would not vote for De la Espriella, whom she described as a “defender of the mafia.”
The former mayor emphasized that her decision stems from the need to prevent a “hegemonic, violent, and authoritarian right wing,” and that her movement will vote for a progressive and independent option.
This endorsement is in keeping with Colombia’s political tradition of second-round alliances, where candidates seek to garner support from minority sectors to challenge the frontrunner.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | In Colombia, presidential candidate for the Historic Pact Party, Ivan Cepeda, exposed a new right-wing plot to sabotage his election campaign. pic.twitter.com/NHKWlQa9dy
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) May 20, 2026
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Source: EFE
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