Colombia will hold the first round of its presidential election on May 31, 2026 [1].
This election determines the nation's top leadership and tests the current political climate. A candidate can win the presidency outright in this round by securing more than 50% of the total votes, or obtaining at least 20% of the votes in the three most populated departments [5, 6].
More than 41 million citizens are registered to vote [3]. However, the Registraduría said that over 500,000 Colombians will be unable to cast their ballots [4]. To facilitate the process, the government has established 13,489 voting locations across the country [2].
Eligible voters must present their electoral card at their designated polling stations to participate. The process includes specific instructions on how to cast a blank vote and the various benefits associated with voting. The Registraduría provided guidelines on polling-station hours to ensure an orderly transition of power [7].
In addition to the general electorate, the government has released the official lists for those serving as voting jurors. Citizens can consult these lists to confirm their roles in overseeing the integrity of the first-round ballots [2, 8].
Because the threshold for a first-round victory is high, the results will determine if the country moves toward a runoff election. This process ensures that the eventual president holds a significant mandate from the population [5].
“Colombia will hold the first round of its presidential election on May 31, 2026.”
The high threshold for a first-round victory—requiring either a majority or a specific distribution of votes across the most populous regions—often leads to a second-round runoff. This structure is designed to ensure the winning candidate has broad national appeal rather than just regional dominance, though the exclusion of over 500,000 potential voters could impact the final percentages in a tight race.
