The Caucan senator Paloma Valencia was chosen as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Center led by former president Álvaro Uribe. She is the first woman to be anointed as a candidate in that group and the third time that Valencia aspired.
Valencia beat fellow senators María Fernanda Cabal and Paola Holguín. The announcement was made at an event at Congress in Bogotá.
There were two surveys—one for party members, with 2,109 interviews, and one for supporters, with about 5,000 people—that showed Valencia as the winner.
In any case, during the announcement there was no information about the percentages and votes. A source familiar with the process told La Silla Vacía that in one of the measurements, Valencia only won by 300 votes over Cabal, who on her team was seen as the favorite in far-right sectors.
“We call on the Uribistas of Colombia (…) to surround our candidate, close ranks and walk united towards victory,” said Gabriel Velasco, the party director.
By speaking, Valencia sent a message to the supporters of the murdered Miguel Uribe Turbay. “His ideals are represented here,” he said.
Furthermore, he pointed out that his candidacy also represents the aspiration of Cabal and Holguín to settle some noise of internal division. “This campaign is one of the three,” he warned.
He told Cabal: “María Fernanda, my lioness and my warrior, there is no animal more powerful than you. This party would not be what it is without your strength and without your character. You are a source of pride for Colombia and you are an integral part of my campaign, which is yours too.”
He jokingly told Holguín that he would even vote for her and that she would be a “fundamental part” of the next government.
Finally, Valencia pointed out that being the presidential candidate does not make her the “owner” of the party. “I came to politics because of my president Uribe. Always my president Uribe,” he said, remembering his party discipline.
“President (I am) the most loyal of your soldiers,” she said.
The 2026 plan. Valencia will be the representative of Uribismo in an eventual negotiation between the Democratic Center and other opposition parties to achieve an interparty consultation in March 2026.
In any case, this plan will depend, as Uribe said last week, on the traction of the idea of a consultation, which has been deflating.
