Colombia: Abelardo De la Espriella’s Victory and the Challenges of Governance
23 June, 2026
Abelardo De la Espriella will be Colombia’s next president after winning the runoff election held on June 21. The Defensores de la Patria candidate secured 49.66% of the vote, compared to 48.70% obtained by Iván Cepeda, the candidate representing the ruling Pacto Histórico coalition. The margin of less than one percentage point reflects a highly ⇢
CITIZENSHIP AND GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
We strengthen democracy by ensuring that institutions and the design of public policies are transparent, accountable, effective, accessible and inclusive.
Who are our lawmakers and how do they represent us?
A tool from Directorio Legislativo with information on who makes up Latin America’s legislatures and how they work.
DL-led initiative that compiles, cross-checks and makes available information on PEPs, beneficial ownership, public procurement and extractive sector licenses to tackle corruption at the global scale.
A consortium of international organizations that provides technical support and assistance to legislatures pursuing Open Parliament principles and policies.
Consensus Building
We build consensus through dialogue and by creating spaces for meaningful exchange, bringing together public, private, and social actors to strengthen civic participation and institutional responsibility. In an increasingly uncertain and polarized world, the ability to reach agreements is essential to tackling today’s challenges and those ahead.
POLITICAL ANALYSIS
We develop stakeholder, scenario and conflict mapping, and undertake comparative analysis of regulatory trends and legislation.
We also offer presentations, training and technical assistance in regulatory, political and legislative processes to various sectors: private, public, academia, chambers of commerce, civil society organizations, among others.
Based on real-time monitoring of governments and legislative branches, international organizations and other relevant actors in Latin America and the Caribbean, we produce regular updated analyses of public policy throughout the region.
About the Directory of Legislators
The Directory of Legislators – from which our organization takes its name – is an initiative started in Argentina in 2000 with the goal of improving public understanding of Congress, its members and the lawmaking process. In recent years we have expanded it to other countries in the region including Mexico and Colombia.
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