Institutions in Colombia are calling for a presidential debate between candidates Iván Cepeda and Abelardo de la Espriella to discuss national policy.
The request comes as leaders seek to transition the political campaign from social media platforms to formal public discourse. Supporters said that such a debate is a duty to democracy, providing voters with a direct comparison of the candidates' platforms before the election.
Pressure for the event grew in May 2026 [1]. The Catholic Church and the Mission of Electoral Observation have both urged that a debate be held [2]. These groups said the public needs a structured environment to evaluate the candidates' visions for the country.
However, the candidates have shown resistance to the idea. Abelardo de la Espriella rejected a proposal for a debate, saying, "No es para jugarreticas" [3]. He said that the campaign is not for playing games [4].
Other proposals have attempted to broaden the scope of the event. Some suggest that campaign representatives for Cepeda, De la Espriella, and Paloma Valencia — a total of three candidates [5] — appoint a compromise official to organize the debate [6]. This effort aims to create a neutral framework for the discussion.
Despite these efforts, some reports indicate that Cepeda and De la Espriella have expressed reluctance to participate in a multi-candidate format, describing such an arrangement as "vacas al matadero" [7]. This hesitation persists as the campaign enters its final stages, approximately one month before the official call to vote [8].
The tension between institutional pressure and candidate reluctance highlights a divide in how the 2026 campaign is being conducted. While observers push for traditional democratic forums, the candidates appear to prefer alternative methods of communication.
“"No es para jugarreticas"”
The reluctance of leading candidates to engage in a formal debate suggests a strategic shift toward fragmented, digital communication over centralized public scrutiny. If the candidates continue to reject these forums, the electoral process may rely more heavily on social media narratives than on direct policy confrontations, potentially limiting the depth of voter information in the final weeks of the campaign.
