Polo Democrático president Carlos Gaviria will leave the opposition party next month, he announced Monday.
In an interview with W Radio he said he will step down at the next party congress to be held in February.
The announcement comes amid rumors that members of his party are looking to get rid of their leader.
Gaviria said in the radio interview his retirement is not because of internal pressure and that he has been planning his retirement since August 2008.
The Polo Democrático leader was first runner up in the 2006 presidential elections in Colombia. Those elections were won by a landslide by the current president Álvaro Uribe.