Among the premature repertoire of possible candidates there are former ministers, current officials, former local leaders and others.
Photo: Private Archive
In an atypical political year, in which from President Gustavo Petro to his main opponent, former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, they have begun to expand the conversation about who will keep the Casa de Nariño in 2026, there is already a bouquet of more than 20 faces of those who could aspire to the most important elected office in the country. This includes current officials who seek to continue the political project of changing the left-wing president and right-wing congressmen who have made the opposition to the Government their main stronghold, including former regional leaders who make the discourse of decentralization their main focus. flag.
The focus on 2026 is such that the coffee that Petro and Uribe had last year, followed by a tense calm, has become a dispute over the issues that would be priorities in two years, when Colombians return to the polls. such as peace and security. Even these days, some premature polls have begun to circulate about who the favorites would be. Although not all those who make up the repertoire of presidential candidates talk about the issue or confirm their aspirations, in their own circles there are intentions to move their names.
Although there are more than 730 days left for the elections in which the next tenant of the Casa de Nariño will be chosen, and that circumstances and intentions may have drastic changes in this time, several figures evaluate their options in a context in which that the discourse on a constituent process has gained strength, their own parties have imploded or lost legal status, or even face criminal and disciplinary proceedings.
Those of Uribismo
The block of presidential congressmen of the Democratic Center, made up of Paola Holguín, Paloma Valencia, María Fernanda Cabal, Miguel Uribe, bases its aspirations on staunch opposition to the government of Gustavo Petro and is also made up of those who have been clearest in his intention to reach the Casa de Nariño. Also in this rattle is the lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, who has made his legal defense of the former president in some scenarios, whom he calls the “great father of the country”, one of his flags.
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The work of this sector of the opposition has been demonstrated in victories such as the lawsuit against the Ministry of Equality, which was successful in the Constitutional Court, and the promotion of the marches against Petro, which have been widely received. They have also taken it upon themselves to take their complaints against the Government to international bodies and frequently summon officials to political control debates or motions of censure in the Capitol.
Although former President Uribe, who is called to trial by the Prosecutor’s Office, has been clear that this is a definitive year for the electoral race, he has not yet given the nod to any of them and the way in which the candidate will be chosen is still being debated. candidate of his party. However, the recent political history of the former president reflects that whoever achieves his endorsement could be one of the strongest in the race.
Former officials, ex-presidents and others
In the possible presidential cards there are also several former ministers, former candidates and former local leaders who have also sought to mark a distance with the current administration, a strategy that could serve them politically in 2026. The first, which include Alejandro Gaviria, José Manuel Restrepo and Mauricio Cárdenas, have come to present protections against the president and have criticized his “polarizing actions” and the legacy that his public policies could leave. Meanwhile, some former governors have made their criticism of the Government and the fight for decentralization their flag. Of a group of about 17 former presidents, Juan Guillermo Zuluaga, who was governor of Meta, and Aníbal Gaviria, from Antioquia, emerge as possible contenders.
In the midst of the situation, other cards have been revealed. For example, when the president began to talk about a constituent assembly, the former mayor of Bogotá Enrique Peñalosa and the former vice president Germán Vargas Lleras expressed their willingness to measure electoral forces in that scenario. On her part, the former mayor of the capital Claudia López also separated from the Green Alliance in the midst of the corruption scandals that, as with Cambio Radical, have ended up affecting several members of the party. It is still uncertain whether López would go to the Casa de Nariño for signatures. In 2018 she withdrew her presidential aspiration to be Sergio Fajardo’s ticket.
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Juan Manuel Galán also plays in this group, whose brother, Carlos Fernando Galán, is the current mayor of Bogotá and who is counting on his New Liberalism party to aspire to the Presidency. He is the same as former candidate Sergio Fajardo, whom Petro surpassed by just over 256,000 votes six years ago. Among the new faces, in various political circles Vicky Dávila is mentioned as an option that could faithfully embody the struggles of the right; However, the journalist has denied having this aspiration and has ratified her intention to remain in the management of Semana.
The pro-government
Who could Gustavo Petro leave the political project of change to? The president has already been clear that only four years are not enough for a progressive government to make profound social adjustments and he has also mentioned that he does not plan to stay in power beyond August 7, 2026. Thus, the candidates for left begin to enlist in their party members.
These days, the Historical Pact published an online survey to measure support for some possible presidential candidates. It includes profiles such as those of the former governor of Magdalena Carlos Caicedo and the former mayor of Medellín Daniel Quintero, whose respective political parties, Fuerza Ciudadana and Independientes, recently lost their legal status and who also have open disciplinary cases for alleged irregularities in their administrations.
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Also in the mix are some of the bishops closest to Petro, among them the key player in the Senate: the vice president of that corporation María José Pizarro, who is promoting the project that would allow transfuguismo to change parties and who during the elections May 1st marches shouted at her that she would be the first president. Roy Barreras, who left the presidency of the Senate a year ago and was later appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom, could also aspire hand in hand with his Fuerza de la Paz party. For his part, Gustavo Bolívar, former senator and current director of the Department of Social Prosperity (DPS), has already expressed his desire to be president, at least locally; In the elections for the Mayor of Bogotá, in 2023, he obtained 571,000 votes, that is, 926,000 less than those achieved by the winner Carlos Fernando Galán.
And although they have not expressed their desire to be presidential, within the Pact they do not rule out that figures such as Senator Iván Cepeda could become candidates, who is emerging for his role in the peace negotiations with the ELN, which go through critical moments afterwards. that the guerrilla resumed the practice of kidnapping for ransom; the newly inaugurated chancellor Luis Gilberto Murillo; Vice President Francia Márquez, who in the left-wing consultation in 2022 obtained 777,907 votes, placing second, and the Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad, one of the few heads of ministries who has remained firm in her position during the 657 days. that Petro has in power.
