The field of candidates in Colombia’s May presidential elections is narrowing. Paloma Valencia, the candidate chosen following a poll from Uribe’s Democratic Center party, the most voted on the right, accepted on Monday the invitation she received the day before to join the alliance of six other candidates, known as the Great Consultation for Colombia. Thus, a large bloc of this sector is unified – the ultra Abelardo de la Espriella is left aside – and we envisage a March 8, the day of the legislative elections and these consultations, polarized between this vote and that of the left, agreed a few hours before and now called the Broad Pact.
The right-wing alliance was born from conversations between five moderate leaders: David Luna, former Cambio Radical senator; Aníbal Gaviria, former governor of Antioquia; Juan Daniel Oviedo, former director of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE); Juan Manuel Galán, director of New Liberalism; and Mauricio Cárdenas, former finance minister under the government of Juan Manuel Santos. For months, they proclaimed the need to unite in a broad alliance to take on Iván Cepeda, the candidate of left-wing President Gustavo Petro. Many have pointed out that the red line is De la Espriella, even though the criminal lawyer is leading the polls among opposition candidates.
The alliance took a turn to the right, first, with the inclusion last Wednesday of the also ultra ultra Vicky Dávila, former director of the magazine Week and who very early on launched a strongly anti-Petrist candidacy with libertarian connotations. The Communicator started out doing well in the polls and began to deflate as the criminal climbed in, as they clashed heavily. The arrival of Valencia, political goddaughter of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, undisputed leader of the Colombian right, reaffirms that the alliance is right-wing, even if the senator was the most moderate of the three candidates in her party.
His arrival is not surprising. On Sunday, the six allies took it for granted. “We met with presidential candidate Paloma Valencia. She expressed her interest in participating in this consultation on March 8, 2026. After a frank conversation, in a spirit of unity and determination for the country, we welcome her to this team,” five of them wrote in an identical message. Juan Manuel Galán did it with a different formulation: “Welcome, Paloma Valencia, to La Gran Consulta. Your participation strengthens democratic dialogue and enriches this space of collective construction.” The senator thanked the invitation and explained that she had to consult her party: “I met the members of La Gran Consulta por Colombia and I appreciate their invitation and their effort for unity. Let’s talk with the members of our party to make a decision that the great team of the Democratic Center is happy and encouraged about,” she said in X.
This procedure was carried out quickly, as Uribe himself had planned on Monday morning. “Regarding the decision in the coming hours: at the request of our candidate Paloma Valencia, yesterday there was an intense dialogue with the parliamentary bench and some corporate candidates. In the morning it will continue with the coordination of the party director. For my part, I will respect the final decision of our candidate, Senator Paloma, which we will support with all our enthusiasm”, he wrote.
About the decision in the next few hours:
At the request of our candidate Paloma Valencia, an intense dialogue took place yesterday with the parliamentary judiciary and certain corporate candidates. In the morning this will continue with the coordination of the Party Director.
For my part, I will respect…
– Álvaro Uribe Vélez (@AlvaroUribeVel) December 22, 2025
The confirmation of the arrival means a boost for the alliance and also the possibility that Uribism reaches the first round with a candidate boosted by millions of votes. In addition, this makes a union with De la Espriella practically impossible, who will not have a similar letter of introduction in the first round. The right, which, unlike the criminal party, seems moderate, has the possibility of adding votes in the absence of consultation with figures from the political center, since Sergio Fajardo closed the door to it and Claudia López would have no one with whom to do it. With the machinery of parties like the Democratic Center, and emotions like anti-petrism, concern for security or rejection of government corruption scandals, the Grand Consultation promises to attract attention.
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