Colombia Presidential Election First Round: Cepeda Wins, Runoff vs. De la Espriella June 21; ELN Ceasefire Holds; Petro Era Ends

May 31, 2026 — Iván Cepeda won the first round of Colombia's presidential election, advancing to a June 21, 2026 runoff against conservative Abelardo De la Espriella. Cepeda — a senator from the Pacto Histórico coalition and veteran human rights lawyer known for his work exposing military 'false positives' (extrajudicial killings) and FARC accountability — emerged as the first-round leader with approximately 44-45% of the vote according to exit polls and initial counts, well ahead of De la Espriella's approximately 31%. No candidate secured the outright 50%+1 majority required to avoid a runoff; third-placed Paloma Valencia (Democratic Center) received approximately 14%. Outgoing President Gustavo Petro's 'Total Peace' initiative — which achieved neither ELN peace (talks collapsed January 2025 after the Catatumbo massacre) nor FARC-EMC demobilization (Mordisco broke off talks citing unfulfilled 2016 accord) — ends with Petro's term today. The ELN's 4-day election ceasefire held throughout voting day with no significant election-related violence reported by security forces or the CNE. The June 21 runoff is the defining moment for Colombia's peace architecture: Cepeda pledges to restart ELN negotiations, continue the JEP transitional justice system, and reopen FARC-EMC talks on the basis of 2016 accord implementation; De la Espriella has pledged to immediately terminate all negotiations with armed groups and pursue a military-first security approach. Crisis Group assessed in 'Colombia's Polls Mark a Forking Path' (May 2026) that consolidated right-wing voters from Valencia's ~14% and other conservative factions could shift the June 21 outcome decisively, potentially making De la Espriella the runoff favorite.