Latest Interviews

Is Colombia heading for its most polarised election yet? | The Economist

Kinley Salmon, Jason Palmer

Colombia faces a highly volatile presidential election defined by record violence and drug production, featuring three distinct contenders: the austere hard-left Ivan Cepeda, the spectacle-driven hard-right populist Abelardo de la Espiella, and the establishment center-right candidate Paloma Valencia. Cepeda and de la Espiella currently lead the polls by leveraging contrasting strategies against the backdrop of a failed peace process, with experts anticipating a polarized runoff between them while acknowledging Valencia's struggle to gain traction. Despite their divergent platforms, all three candidates remain viable, presenting a fractured political landscape where voters must choose between a socialist-style economic expansion, a punitive security crackdown, or a traditional focus on institutional decency.