Next Sunday, alongside congressional elections in Colombia, voters can participate in three consultations to select presidential precandidates. Politicians from Huila have shared their preferences for these consultations amid controversies stirred by President Gustavo Petro and his party. Several local figures back candidates like Paloma Valencia and Roy Barreras, while others choose to abstain.
On March 8, 2026, Colombians will vote in congressional elections and, optionally, in three presidential consultations: the Consulta de las Soluciones (center), focused on health, security, and education; La Gran Consulta Por Colombia (center-right); and the Frente por la Vida (left). These consultations, on a single ballot, select one winner each, who will compete on May 31 against aspirants like Iván Cepeda, Abelardo de la Espriella, and Sergio Fajardo. If no majority, a second round follows three weeks later. Voters must select only one consultation and mark their preferred candidate's box.
The Consulta de las Soluciones features Claudia López and Leonardo Humberto Huerta Gutiérrez. La Gran Consulta Por Colombia has nine aspirants: Mauricio Cárdenas, David Luna, Victoria Dávila, Juan Manuel Galán, Paloma Valencia, Juan Carlos Pinzón, Aníbal Gaviria, Enrique Peñalosa, and Juan Daniel Oviedo. The Frente por la Vida includes Héctor Elías Pineda, Edison Lucio Torres, Roy Barreras, Martha Bernal, and Daniel Quintero.
Huila politicians have stated their positions. Garzón councilor Manuel Cerquera and Neiva's Mauricio Rojas back Paloma Valencia from Centro Democrático, praising her public administration knowledge and firmness against corruption. Several support Roy Barreras: Neiva councilors Roberto Escobar, Juan Sebastián Prieto Pérez, Juan Carlos Parada, and Juan Pablo Perdomo Zambrano, plus deputy Victoria Castro. Prieto Pérez stressed: “Colombia needs balance, sanity, and governability, not polarization”. Perdomo Zambrano added: “Colombia requires reconciliation, a person who works for all”.
Neiva councilor Héctor Javier Osorio supports Juan Manuel Galán, aligned with Nuevo Liberalismo. However, figures like deputy Rodrigo Lara Sánchez, close to Sergio Fajardo, and representative Leyla Rincón from Pacto Histórico will not vote in the consultations. Rincón stated: “Pacto Histórico will vote on May 31 for Iván Cepeda”. Similarly, councilors César Oviedo and Alejandro Serna will abstain, following party guidelines. Pacto Histórico, aligned with Petro, is not participating and urges abstention.
In Huila, voting stations remain unchanged, with polls opening at 8:00 a.m. Local stats include 43 candidates for the departmental Cámara circumscription, six closed lists, six open lists, and 16 Senate lists.
