Multiple left-wing parties have formalized the participation in a multipartite primary election that seeks a unified candidate in Colombia’s presidential election later this year.
Among the candidates of the “Front For Life” coalition are two politicians, Ivan Cepeda and Daniel Quintero, who took part in the primary of the largest of the leftist parties, the Historic Pact, in November of last year.
All candidates vow to succeed the reformist agenda of President Gustavo Petro, who will leave office on August 7.
Ivan Cepeda
Senator Ivan Cepeda is a long-time victims rights defender, who has become the left’s most prominent lawmaker since entering Congress in 2010.
Cepeda, whose father was assassinated by paramilitaries in the 1990’s, rose to prominence in 2003 when he and other conflict victims loudly protested the participation of commanders of the paramilitary organization AUC in a congressional debate.
The senator founded the Movement for Victims of State Violence (Movice) is 2007 and became one of the most important defenders of the rights of victims, especially after his first election to Congress in 2010.
Cepeda’s investigations into paramilitary violence made him the main political enemy of former President Alvaro Uribe, whose family was key in the creation of paramilitary death squads in their native Antioquia province.
The senator won the historic pact primary with a more than 2.7 million votes, has been ahead in all the election polls and is expected to win the primary without effort.
Daniel Quintero
Daniel Quintero is a left-liberal politician from Medellin, where he was mayor between 2020 and 2023.
Quintero, a businessman, started off as a volunteer with the Conservative Party and has sought to advance his political career through alliances with a number of politicians from both the left and the right.
The former mayor is highly controversial among left-wing activists because of his perceived lack of political convictions and alleged links to corruption scandals in his native city.
Camilo Romero
Camilo Romero is a former journalist and politician, aligned with the left wing of the liberal Green Alliance party.
Romero was born in Ipiales, the main city on the border with Ecuador.
With the backing of the Green Alliance, the former journalist became governor of his native Nariño province in 2015 after which he became one of the most vociferous supporters of peace with the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC.
Romero, who can count on significant support in southwest Colombia, has been a major supporters and ally of the government.
Roy Barreras
Former Senator Roy Barreras is a physician, who began his political career as a member of the left-wing of the New Liberalism movement of slain politician Luis Carlos Galan.
Barreras entered Congress as a member of the center-right and notoriously corrupt Radical Change in 2006, but was expelled from this political party for failing to obey orders.
As a member of the liberal U Party, the physician became one of the most vociferous supporters of peace with the FARC and justice for victims of Colombia’s armed conflict.
Ahead of the 2022 elections, Barreras joined the coalition that supported Petro’s presidential bid and became the Historic Pact’s senate chief.
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