Colombian Senator Iván Cepeda was chosen on Sunday as the presidential candidate for the left-wing coalition Historic Pact ahead of the 2026 elections, succeeding President Gustavo Petro as the movement’s standard-bearer.
Cepeda, 63, secured a decisive victory in the coalition’s primary, winning 1.02 million votes, about 64.4%, with 88% of ballots counted.
He defeated former Health Minister Carolina Corcho, who garnered 472,062 votes, or 29.5%, according to preliminary figures released by the Historic Pact.
The primary turnout was relatively low compared to the country’s 41.2 million registered voters, the National Civil Registry reported. Participation in the vote was open to all registered voters nationwide.
Cepeda, a long-time human rights advocate and a prominent member of the Democratic Pole party, has been a key ally of President Petro and an influential figure in Colombia’s peace and justice debates.
His nomination positions him as the leading voice of the left as Petro, barred by law from seeking re-election, nears the end of his term.
The National Electoral Council will decide in the coming weeks whether Cepeda may take part in a broader interparty referendum scheduled for March 2026.
That contest will bring together candidates from other leftist and centrist parties to select a single nominee ahead of the general election.
Most political parties plan to hold their primaries in March alongside legislative elections.
Colombians are set to vote for Petro’s successor in May 2026, with a possible runoff to follow in June if no candidate secures a majority in the first round.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
