Colombian Presidential Elections in a Nutshell

On May 29, over 39 million Colombians will go to the electoral boards to elect the president and vice president for the period 2022-2026. The elections take place amid a great polarization among voters and a strong scenario of violence against candidates, most of whom closed their election campaigns on May 22 with massive acts in several cities.

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In these acts, they exposed their government plans, seeking to convince voters still undecided. The main data on this electoral process are presented below.

The presidential election may require a ballot. If neither candidate gets more than fifty percent of the vote on May 29, the two candidates with the highest vote will go on a ballot scheduled for June 19.

Two binomials capture the highest adhesions. During the last months, the presidential candidate Gustavo Petro and the vice presidential candidate France Marquez have maintained the first place in the intentions of vote at the national level. They represent the Historical Pact, a coalition of left-wing parties and social movements.

They are followed by the presidential candidate Federico Gutierrez whose vice-presidential candidate is the former mayor of Neiva Rodrigo Lara. They represent "Team for Colombia", a far-right party.

A third important candidate is the civil engineer Rodolfo Hernandez, who could contest the second round, given the increase in the intention to vote in his favor. The former mayor of Bucaramanga registered his candidacy for the centrist movement League of Anti-Corruption Rulers. His vice-presidential candidate is Marlene Castillo, a teacher.

The rest of the candidates have a very low percentage of support or left the race for the presidency, as happened with Ingrid Betancourt, who represented the Green Oxygen Party but resigned from the competition and expressed her support for Hernandez and Castillo.

Almost a million Colombians will vote abroad. Colombians outside their country can start voting from May 23 if they were registered on the electoral roll abroad before March 29.

They must present their valid citizenship card or passport when they attend polling stations in Colombian embassies or consulates.  According to the National Registry, a total of 972,764 Colombians are eligible to vote in 67 countries during these elections.