Event Summary
On 8 March 2026, elections were held for the Congress of the Republic and inter-party consultations in Colombia. The following are some of the preliminary highlights of the results of the day:
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Legislative Results (as of 10 March 2026 with 99% of votes counted): The ruling party, Pacto Histórico, was confirmed as the leading force with 22.8% of the votes (approx. 25 seats), followed by the Democratic Centre with 15.6% (17 seats) and the Liberal Party with 11.7% (12 seats).
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Winners of consultations: The presidential candidacies of Paloma Valencia (centre-right axis – 3.2 million votes), Claudia López (centre – 594,000 votes) and Roy Barreras (centre – 568,000 votes) were confirmed.
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Irregularities: The Electoral Observation Mission received 449 reports of irregularities in 151 municipalities. The departments with the most complaints were Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Atlántico, and Bogotá. Sixty-eight arrests were reported, along with the seizure of 3.626 billion pesos in cash allegedly intended for vote buying, with critical hotspots in Montería, Cartagena, and Buenaventura. There were delays at 286 polling stations due to a lack of poll workers, and seven polling stations in Chocó and Córdoba were relocated due to weather conditions.
Voter turnout reached 50% of the electoral potential, slightly exceeding the results of the 2022 legislative elections.
Civil society organisations will monitor the final vote counts to detect discrepancies between the preliminary count and the E-14 records.
- Irregularidades: La Misión de Observación Electoral recibió 449 denuncias de irregularidades en 151 municipios. Los departamentos con más denuncias fueron Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Atlántico y Bogotá. Se informó de 68 detenciones, junto con la incautación de 3626 millones de pesos en efectivo presuntamente destinados a la compra de votos, con puntos críticos en Montería, Cartagena y Buenaventura. Se produjeron retrasos en 286 colegios electorales debido a la falta de personal, y siete colegios electorales de Chocó y Córdoba fueron reubicados debido a las condiciones meteorológicas.