The Centro Democrático party officially selected Senator Paloma Valencia Laserna as its presidential candidate for the 2026 elections on Monday, December 15, 2025, following an internal process combining public and party opinion polls. The announcement took place in Bogotá, ending the internal competition with Senators Paola Holguín and María Fernanda Cabal. Valencia thanked former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez for his mentorship.
The Centro Democrático, known as uribismo, concluded its internal presidential candidate selection process for the 2026 elections on Monday. Senator Paloma Valencia Laserna was chosen through a mechanism that combined public opinion and party membership polls. The officialization event occurred in Bogotá, where the party leadership ended the contest that also featured Senators Paola Holguín and María Fernanda Cabal.
In her first message as the candidate, Valencia emphasized her political bond with former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, whom she called her mentor. “He has been my mentor in all moments of life. I have learned from him that loving Colombia is not an adjective but a verb that demands working, working, and working,” the senator stated.
Uribe participated virtually in the event, framing the selection as the start of a unified campaign. “We are going to win. Victory is the fruit of dedication, and here we have someone to win with, an impeccable woman. We will all fight to protect Paloma, to accompany her, so she leads us to victory,” he said. He also urged building a broad right-wing coalition: “We will all fight so that Paloma leads a great coalition of the Colombian people.”
Valencia also acknowledged her internal rivals. “I recognize their dedication, their courage, their ability, and that this party would not be what it is without their voice, their firmness, and their character,” she said about María Fernanda Cabal. The party indicated that the candidacy will seek alliances with other right and center-right sectors to prevent fragmentation in the first electoral round.
