Colombia ELN Election Ceasefire Holds Into Day 2; Cepeda and De la Espriella Begin June 21 Runoff Campaigns With Peace Architecture at Center

June 1, 2026 — The ELN's 4-day election ceasefire (midnight May 30 through midnight June 2) continues holding on its second day with no significant violations reported. The ceasefire covers the May 31 first-round election and the immediate post-voting stabilization period, and security forces confirm the calm atmosphere persisting through June 1. Presidential candidates Iván Cepeda (Pacto Histórico, ~44-45% first round) and Abelardo De la Espriella (conservative, ~31%) have begun their June 21 runoff campaigns with Colombia's peace architecture as the defining axis of competition. Cepeda — a human rights lawyer and senator who built his political career around accountability for military 'false positives' and FARC-era abuses — has pledged to immediately restart ELN negotiations (suspended since January 2025 after the Catatumbo massacre), continue the JEP transitional justice system, and reopen FARC-EMC (Mordisco faction) talks on the basis of the 2016 accord. De la Espriella, who holds the consolidated support of Paloma Valencia's Democratic Center voters (~14% first round) and other conservative factions, has pledged to immediately terminate all negotiations with armed groups and pursue a military-first security approach. Crisis Group's May 2026 assessment 'Colombia's Polls Mark a Forking Path' notes the right-wing consolidation dynamic could make De la Espriella the June 21 runoff favorite despite losing the first round. The JEP continues operating independently of presidential politics — its macro-cases (including 'false positives') will proceed regardless of who wins June 21. The FARC-EMC and ELN remain outside any formal negotiating framework. Former President Petro's 'Total Peace' initiative, which saw ELN talks collapse January 2025 and FARC-EMC disengage citing unfulfilled 2016 accord obligations, formally ends with Petro's term on election day.