Colombians Vote in Presidential Election Expected to Reach June Runoff

Millions of Colombians voted Sunday in the first round of the presidential election. No candidate is projected to reach the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright, making a runoff between the top two finishers on June 21 nearly certain. An AtlasIntel poll of 4,531 respondents released last week showed Senator Iván Cepeda at 38.7 percent, lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella at 37.3 percent, and Senator Paloma Valencia at 14.3 percent.

Moderate candidate Sergio Fajardo trailed further behind.

Voters cited security as a top concern after human rights groups recorded more than 50 massacres this year and clashes between armed factions that killed about 50 people this week. Studies cited in the coverage link expanded coca cultivation and armed-group activity to policies under President Gustavo Petro.

De la Espriella has proposed bombing trafficker camps, ending negotiations with armed groups, resuming aerial fumigation with glyphosate, and building ten maximum-security prisons. Cepeda has continued Petro-era talks with guerrillas and cartels. Valencia has called for more ground troops, drone surveillance, and resumed fumigation while distinguishing her approach from de la Espriella's.

The outcome will affect U.S. counternarcotics cooperation. The Trump administration has conducted strikes that killed over 200 alleged smugglers and has worked with governments including Ecuador's. Relations with Colombia deteriorated under Petro, including withdrawal of his U.S. visa and Treasury sanctions.

United Nations data indicate Colombia produced record cocaine levels in 2025 even as Petro reported large seizures. Former finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo noted that a right-leaning victory would align with the administration's regional approach.