Colombia’s political landscape is bracing for an unprecedented showdown as Senator Ivan Cepeda, a prominent human rights advocate and longtime critic of paramilitarism, faces mounting pressure from across the left to enter the 2026 presidential race. The calls come in the wake of Cepeda’s pivotal legal victory two weeks ago, which saw former President Alvaro Uribe convicted of bribery and procedural fraud—a verdict that has sent shockwaves through the nation’s political establishment and set the stage for a potentially transformative election cycle.
On August 18, 2025, several influential factions within the ruling Historic Pact coalition publicly urged Cepeda to declare his candidacy. The senator, now 62, has become a symbol of consistency and courage for many on the left, especially following his role in the high-profile legal proceedings that led to Uribe’s conviction. As reported by Colombia One, Cepeda remains measured in his response, stating that his decision will hinge on two factors: the final outcome of Uribe’s ongoing appeal at the Bogota Superior Court and whether his candidacy can truly unify Colombia’s often fractious left-wing forces.
The urgency is palpable. The Historic Pact, currently led by President Gustavo Petro, faces a critical juncture. With internal primaries scheduled for October 26, 2025, the coalition must quickly coalesce around a single candidate capable of carrying forward its progressive agenda amid declining public approval and increasing political fragmentation. The left’s challenge is not just to retain power, but to find a standard-bearer who can bridge the divides that have emerged within its ranks since Petro’s historic victory in 2022.
Cepeda’s sudden rise as a potential presidential contender is closely tied to the dramatic legal developments surrounding Uribe, who served as president from 2002 to 2010. According to Colombia One, Cepeda spearheaded the case that resulted in Uribe’s conviction for attempting to manipulate witnesses—an effort that involved years of gathering evidence and withstanding significant political and personal risk. The court’s verdict, which sentenced Uribe to twelve years of house arrest, marked an unprecedented moment in Colombian politics, positioning Cepeda as a moral and legal counterweight to the enduring influence of “uribismo.”
The legal saga’s roots stretch back decades. As detailed by Colombia Reports, a Bogota court also recently convicted attorney Diego Cadena, a fixer for Uribe, for trying to bribe a key witness, Juan Guillermo Monsalve. Monsalve had testified that Uribe and his brother Santiago helped create the Bloque Metro paramilitary group in 1996 at the family’s Guacharacas estate. The Bloque Metro would go on to perpetrate more than 230 massacres and thousands of assassinations in Antioquia province, targeting anyone deemed leftist. Cadena’s attempt to pressure Monsalve—caught on tape and handed to the Supreme Court—proved instrumental in Uribe’s conviction and exposed a network of lawyers, political allies, and prisoners allegedly mobilized to obstruct justice.
Uribe, for his part, has consistently denied any direct links to paramilitary organizations, even as he faces ongoing investigations into his alleged role in the 1998 assassination of a human rights defender and his support for private security firms that allegedly served as fronts for paramilitary groups. The fallout from these revelations has only heightened the stakes of the coming election, with Cepeda cast as both the architect of accountability and a potential architect of the nation’s future.
Within the Historic Pact, the calls for Cepeda’s candidacy have grown increasingly vocal. Last weekend, Senator Wilson Arias and Representative Alfredo Mondragon published a widely shared video on social media, urging Cepeda to join the presidential race. “We signed a letter asking him to run in the upcoming elections, to run as a pre-candidate of the Historic Pact. Such an important range full of virtues is completed with Ivan Cepeda, and we are going for victory in 2026,” Arias declared. Mondragon added, “We want him to join the outstanding pre-candidacies, like those of Carolina Corcho, Maria Jose Pizarro, Gustavo Bolivar, and many more. We believe he can send a powerful message of unity.”
Cepeda’s appeal extends beyond the political elite. The Mothers of False Positives from Soacha and Bogotá (MAFAPO), a collective representing families of victims of extrajudicial executions, released a statement on August 17, 2025, urging him to run. Their message was clear: “Ivan Cepeda has been by our side when few dared. In Congress, he has not only opened doors for us but has also placed us at the center of public discussion with respect, seriousness, and rigor. (…) He has demonstrated his commitment through actions and data: over 15 bills in favor of peace and human rights (…), in a constant defense of popular sectors, farmers, Indigenous people, LGBTIQ+ individuals, in a country where more than 19.7 million people live in poverty and where social leaders continue to be murdered.”
The senator’s personal history adds a poignant dimension to his public image. Cepeda’s father, Manuel Cepeda, was assassinated in 1994 by paramilitary groups during a campaign that claimed the lives of over 5,000 members of the leftist Patriotic Union party. Ivan Cepeda himself has been a tireless advocate for victims, exposing abuses such as the “false positives” scandal, in which at least 6,402 young men were killed by the military and falsely presented as guerrillas slain in combat.
Despite the groundswell of support, Cepeda has remained cautious. “I deeply appreciate the expressions of confidence, but I haven’t made any decision. My commitment has always been to truth, justice, and the consolidation of the peace process,” he recently told Colombia One in Congress. His reluctance is informed by the weight of expectations and the awareness that his entry could either unify the left or exacerbate existing tensions, especially given the already crowded field of confirmed candidates—Carolina Corcho, María José Pizarro, Gustavo Bolívar, and Gloria Flórez, each with their own constituencies and visions for Colombia’s future.
The debate over Cepeda’s potential candidacy is dividing opinion within the Historic Pact. Some see him as the only figure capable of uniting the coalition and providing a credible alternative to right-wing and centrist challengers, while others warn that a late entry could undermine candidates who have been building their campaigns for months. There are also concerns that Cepeda’s association with the Uribe conviction, while boosting his profile among progressives, could make him a target for smear campaigns by conservative opponents who accuse him of politicizing the justice system.
Regardless of his decision, Cepeda’s influence on the upcoming election is undeniable. With the October 26 primaries fast approaching, the left faces a defining moment. If Cepeda steps forward, he would do so with a symbolic advantage that few can match; if he chooses to remain on the sidelines, he will likely play a pivotal role as an arbiter within a coalition struggling to maintain its unity and momentum.
As Colombia stands at the crossroads of justice and political renewal, the choices made in the coming months—by Cepeda and the Historic Pact—will shape not just the outcome of the 2026 election, but the trajectory of the country’s democracy for years to come.