Colombia faces overlapping crises that are shaping the ground for the country’s 2026 elections. Deteriorating security, a strained health care system, and a fragile economy are the main concerns for voters. Colombia is approaching the election year with the assassination of a presidential pre-candidate, which underscored worsening security conditions amid ongoing conflict, persistent drug-related violence, and mass displacement.
Public confidence is eroding. U.S.–Colombia relations are at their lowest point in decades. The alarming rise in coca production and ongoing conflict has fueled rising violence, including a wave of attacks, such as the Cali airbase bombing that left six dead and more than 60 wounded, alongside a 117 percent increase in mass displacement this year. Recently, the United States decertified Colombia for the first time in nearly 30 years, arguing a lack of cooperation in counternarcotics efforts. This year, the UN reported a 53 percent surge in cocaine output and noted that the country now accounts for 67 percent of global coca cultivation. Together, these developments add external pressure to an already fragile domestic situation.
Yet Colombia has shown remarkable resilience before, and it retains the institutions and human capital to do so again. The 2026 elections present an opportunity to restore confidence in democratic governance, strengthen partnerships, and address the multiple security challenges.
This timely discussion will examine how Colombia’s security, economic, and governance challenges are shaping the 2026 elections, and how the country can leverage both domestic strengths and international cooperation to establish a clear direction for progress.
Join the Inter-American Dialogue on Thursday, October 9, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 am ET, for a timely conversation on Colombia’s path to 2026.
Follow this event on X (formerly Twitter) with The_Dialogue.
SPEAKERS
Sergio Guzmán
Director and Co-Founder, Colombia Risk Analysis (@SergioGuzmanE)
Carolina Barco
Former Ambassador of Colombia to the United States; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia
Cynthia J. Arnson
Former Director of the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center
MODERATOR
Rebecca Bill Chavez
President & CEO, Inter-American Dialogue (@RebeccaBillChav)
