Colombia’s ruling party, Pacto Histórico, and the opposition Centro Democrático are projected to be the dominant forces in the Senate following Sunday’s elections, setting the stage for a potentially divided legislative landscape.
With 83.13% of polling stations reporting results, Pacto Histórico has received 3,599,411 votes for the Senate, representing 22.84% of the total. Centro Democrático trails with 2,473,529 votes, or 15.70%, according to preliminary data.
If these results hold, the party of President Gustavo Petro will maintain its position as the largest group in the upper house of Congress. The showing also marks a resurgence for the Uribismo movement, led by former President Álvaro Uribe, which finished fourth in the 2022 legislative elections.
The Partido Liberal follows as the third-largest party with 1,840,821 votes (11.68%), whereas the Alianza por Colombia coalition secured 1,566,822 votes (9.94%). The Partido Conservador received 1,516,850 votes (9.62%), and the Partido de la U garnered 1,272,697 votes (8.07%).
These four parties could prove pivotal for the next president, who will take office August 7, as their senators are known for crossing party lines and hold differing views on the current administration’s policies.
Also securing representation in the Senate are the centrist Ahora Colombia coalition with 730,018 votes (4.63%) and the right-leaning Cambio Radical-Alma with 982,501 votes (6.23%).
The Movimiento de Salvación Nacional is currently on the cusp of meeting the 3% threshold required for Senate representation, holding 555,632 votes, equivalent to 3.52% of the total.
Parties that will not be represented in the new Congress include the leftist Frente Amplio Unitario, the rightist Creemos, and the Fuerza Ciudadana coalition, which includes Comunes, a party formed from the demobilization of the former FARC guerilla group. La lista de Oviedo, the Oxígeno party, and the Patriotas and Colombia segura y próspera movements also failed to reach the required vote threshold.
