Iván Cepeda, the left-wing presidential candidate for the Pacto Histórico coalition, has definitively withdrawn his proposal for a constitutional assembly [1].
The move signals a strategic shift in the Colombian presidential campaign as Cepeda attempts to build a broader coalition to prevent a victory for the right-wing project of Abelardo de la Espriella.
Cepeda is calling for an agreement with the political center to unite against his opponent [2]. He said the political project of the far-right represented by De la Espriella constitutes a threat, describing it as a regressive and authoritarian proposal [1].
This pivot follows a tight first round of voting. De la Espriella received 43.72% of the vote [4], while Cepeda received 40.92% [5]. The scale of the election involved the opening of 120,527 voting tables [6].
By abandoning the push for a new constitution, Cepeda intends to lower the barrier for centrist parties to join his campaign. He said it is now the moment for union and concertation [2].
Cepeda said that De la Espriella has presented a proposal that is considered regressive and puts social advances at risk [3]. The candidate believes that unity is the only way to protect social rights against what he describes as an ultra-right threat [1].
The decision to move away from a constitutional assembly, a central pillar for many in the Pacto Histórico, represents a significant concession to attract moderate voters before the final election.
“"El proyecto político de la extrema derecha de De la Espriella constituye una amenaza."”
Cepeda's decision to drop the constitutional assembly proposal is a tactical pivot designed to expand his electoral base. By removing a polarizing policy goal, he is attempting to position himself as a viable partner for centrist parties, effectively framing the runoff not as a choice between two ideologies, but as a defense of social rights against a perceived authoritarian threat from the right.
