Colombia’s upcoming elections face potential disruption, the country’s National Ombudsman has warned. While congressional and presidential elections are likely to go ahead, interference by illegal armed groups could impact the democratic process through blocking of candidates, voter coercion and campaign influence.
The Ombudsman’s Office has documented 457 death threats against social activists and political candidates during this electoral period, with the regional departments of Santander, Nariño, Antioquia and Magdalena worst affected. The threat of violence is also impacting hundreds of municipalities where residents will vote for the National Congress on 8 March and the country’s next president on 31 May, with a potential second round three weeks later.
Furthermore, there is a growing threat towards former guerrillas in the peace process, activists, journalists and public officials, particularly in cases where they attempt to prevent armed groups from carrying out intimidatory or disruptive actions. Recommending a more effective institutional response to these concerns, the Ombudsman urged the Interior Ministry to improve institutional coordination to confront risks and for the Defence Ministry to ensure security in affected areas.
Topping polls head of the presidential election is Senator Iván Cepeda of current president Gustavo Petro’s Historic Pact coalition. Earlier this week, Cepeda’s campaign denounced attempts to stigmatise him, the MOVICE human rights organisation and independent grassroots media after US-funded platform La Silla Vacía published an article based on debunked allegations that Cepeda and MOVICE collaborated with the FARC guerrilla movement to organise a national rally in 2008. Cepeda has warned that far-right political opponents are attempting to lay the groundwork to undermine his campaign and potentially open the door to intervention by the US.
While election periods in Colombia are often marred by coercion and violence, the 2022 cycle was widely reported as the most stable in decades. That saw unprecedented success for the pro-peace and progressive movement with the election of Gustavo Petro and his Historic Pact coalition. The broad support for the Historic Pact has led right-wing opponents to impede its expansive agenda in the congress and, when that fails, through the courts. Furthermore, Cepeda was barred from taking part in the upcoming primary, which could see other candidates emerge to potentially split the progressive vote, while in some areas voters have been obstructed from reaching polling booths.
The Ombudsman’s alert over the elections comes as Colombia continues to see high levels of violence against activists. On 22 February, Belarmino Guejia (pictured above) was killed in Cajibío, department of Cauca, where he was a prominent peasant organiser and environmental defender. Belarmino, who was of Nasa indigenous heritage, was a member of the CORPOAPRODEC rural producers’ organisation, an affiliate of the FENSUAGRO agricultural workers federation that has a longstanding relationship with Unite the Union. Belarmino met with JFC staff in 2019 and was part of the PUPSOC human rights organisation whose work JFC has long supported in southwest Colombia. According to Colombian human rights NGO INDEPAZ, Belarmino is the 23rd social activist murdered since the start of 2026.