Event

Ballots or Bullets: Will Colombia vote for peace?

As violence worsens ahead of Colombia’s presidential election on 31 May, the candidates are sharply divided over how to confront the conflict and restore security.

Ballots or Bullets: Will Colombia vote for peace?

Producer:

UiB

Main content

After Gustavo Petro’s historic 2022 victory as Colombia’s first left-wing president, the country is heading toward a decisive political moment. With Petro unable to seek re-election, the 2026 presidential race is unfolding amid deep polarization, renewed armed conflict and growing fears over democratic stability.

Colombia has long been seen as one of Latin America’s more resilient democracies, but its politics remain marked by decades of armed conflict, forced displacement, narco-violence and contested state authority.

Today, failed peace negotiations, escalating regional violence, bomb attacks and the assassination of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe have pushed security back to the centre of the campaign. Candidates are now sharply divided between continuing Petro’s “total peace” agenda and pursuing a tougher military response.

What is really at stake in Colombia’s 2026 election? Can the next government rebuild trust, reduce violence and address inequality, or is the country entering a new period of instability?

Join us for a panel discussion on Colombia’s political turning point, the future of peace and security, and what the election may mean for democracy and political change in Latin America.