Colombia’s legislative elections yield a fragmented Congress, complicating the path for the next president as political violence and deep divisions persist.
BOGOTÁ: Preliminary results from Colombia’s legislative elections show a deeply divided Congress, setting a complex stage for the upcoming presidential vote in May.
President Gustavo Petro’s left-wing bloc maintained its status as a dominant force, emerging as the largest in the Senate. His coalition is also expected to be among the biggest in the lower chamber, though its final makeup remains uncertain.
The results offer a glimmer of hope for Petro’s allies ahead of the May 31 presidential election, which is projected to head to a runoff in June. With Congress remaining divided, the next president will need to form broad coalitions to pass any significant legislation.
The campaign has been overshadowed by Colombia’s history of brutal conflict and powerful cocaine mafias. More than 60 political figures and community leaders were killed this election cycle, including a presidential candidate assassinated in Bogota.
Rebels detonated a pipe bomb in a major city, and a third of the country was deemed unsafe for campaigning. The defence ministry announced a major deployment of security forces to ensure safe elections.
Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president and a former guerrilla, is barred by law from seeking re-election. His broad progressive coalition, which catapulted him to power in 2022, has since been riven by infighting and struggled to govern.
Prone to social media outbursts and public spats, Petro has burned through more than 60 ministers in four years. He has frequently denounced the legislature, which has lost respect among many Colombians due to corruption scandals.
The outgoing Congress approved some of Petro’s reforms but rejected others as its term ended, including an overhaul of the healthcare system. “Thanks to the Congress we have, for better or worse, they did not approve several reforms which were terrible for the country,” said political scientist Damaris Pavon, 37.
Petro has proposed creating a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution. He hopes a new basic law would remake the judiciary, which his allies see as tilted to the right, and grant the president more power to rule by decree.
Conservative voters hope for a political revival after years in the doldrums. Powerful former president Alvaro Uribe ran for a Senate seat to rally supporters of his hardline security policies.
Preliminary results showed Sunday that his party did not reach the threshold to win a seat. Despite a 2016 peace accord, dissident armed groups are expanding under Petro’s stalled “total peace” negotiations.
Campaigns leaned on TikTok personalities, singers and AI-generated content to cut through a crowded field. Two activists put forward an AI candidate known as “Gaitana” for a seat reserved for Indigenous communities.
Represented by a blue-skinned woman, Gaitana describes herself as an environmentalist and animal rights defender. The vote was the first since 2016 where former guerrilla fighters were not guaranteed congressional seats.
“For anything to change in this country there would need to be a miracle,” said Marta Sandoval, a 39-year-old chef. Colombia is trying to emerge from 50 years of fighting spawned by leftist rebels, paramilitaries and drug lords.
Much of the ongoing violence is fuelled by the cocaine trade. Petro’s term ends in August, and his allies hope to continue his reform agenda from the legislature.
