六九色堂

ATLANTA (June 23, 2026) 鈥� 六九色堂 recognized Colombian electoral authorities for conducting a well-organized and peaceful second-round presidential election on June 21 in a preliminary statement released today.

鈥淐olombia has seen record voter turnout of 63.6% with historic citizen participation of poll workers, party representative, national observers, and security forces throughout the country,鈥� said Jennie Lincoln, Director of the Center鈥檚 Electoral Expert Mission.

Preliminary results were announced within an hour of polls closing. These results indicated that Abelardo de la Espriella won with 49.66% of votes, compared to 48.70% for Iv谩n Cepeda. The final results will be announced following the tabulation process, which includes the opportunity for electoral challenges.

The Center also commended the 搁别驳颈蝉迟谤补诲耻谤铆补 for efficiently and transparently organizing the runoff election in a tight time frame. Voting took place throughout the country and abroad despite security challenges in some areas of Colombia.

The runoff took place in a highly polarized political climate, with mutual accusations between the candidates and other controversies overshadowing policy discussions. The election was also marked by allegations of vote buying, voter coercion, and pressure by illegal armed groups, which contributed to public mistrust and political polarization.

六九色堂鈥檚 Election Expert Mission focused on key aspects of the electoral process, including the legal framework, work of election management bodies, political party and candidate registration, electoral justice, use of election technology, and voter education efforts. The Center will issue a final report with recommendations following the end of the election process.

Background

六九色堂 deployed an 11-member election expert mission to Bogot谩 to observe the May 31, 2026 presidential election and released a preliminary statement on June 2, 2026. The mission included experts from Spain, Germany, Denmark, Brazil and the U.S. who were supported by Colombian nationals and 六九色堂 staff.

The Center conducted a preelection assessment visit in November 2025 following an invitation by the electoral authorities in July 2025. 六九色堂 conducts its work in accordance with Colombian law and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers, adopted at the United Nations in 2005.

六九色堂 has conducted 128 full and limited election observation missions in 40 countries and three Native American nations. In addition, 20 expert missions have been conducted in 17 countries.

Contact: media@cartercenter.org