She stands on a foundation she did not build alone
En Colombia, la derecha busca articular una respuesta electoral al gobierno de Gustavo Petro con la nominación de Paloma Valencia —abogada, senadora y heredera de una estirpe política centenaria— como candidata presidencial del Centro Democrático para 2026. Su designación, anunciada en Bogotá tras una consulta interna frente a dos senadoras rivales, no es solo el ascenso de una figura partidaria, sino el intento de una tradición política de reinventarse ante un país en transformación. El desafío es doble: consolidar una derecha fragmentada en las consultas de marzo y, más urgente aún, convertir el respaldo institucional en resonancia ciudadana real.
- Con apenas el 1,1% en las encuestas, Valencia llega a la candidatura con el apoyo de su partido pero sin el calor del electorado amplio, una brecha que define la urgencia de su campaña.
- El Centro Democrático, fundado por Álvaro Uribe y aún gravitando en torno a su figura, encuadra la candidatura como una batalla existencial contra lo que llama el modelo 'castro-chavista' de Petro.
- La fragmentación de la derecha colombiana obliga a Valencia a competir en consultas interpartidarias en marzo de 2026, donde deberá imponerse sobre otras fuerzas conservadoras y de centro-derecha para llegar unida al debate general.
- Frente a ella, el panorama electoral muestra a un candidato oficialista con casi 32 puntos de intención de voto, lo que convierte la primera vuelta del 31 de mayo en una cuesta empinada para cualquier aspirante opositor.
- Valencia apuesta por un discurso que combina seguridad, libertad económica y política social —con énfasis en madres solteras y jóvenes— buscando ampliar el perfil tradicional de su partido hacia sectores más vulnerables.
El lunes, en una ceremonia en Bogotá, el Centro Democrático formalizó lo que muchos dentro del partido ya intuían: Paloma Valencia, senadora de 47 años y abogada de larga trayectoria legislativa, será su candidata presidencial para las elecciones de 2026. La selección se produjo mediante una consulta interna en la que Valencia se impuso sobre sus compañeras de partido María Fernanda Cabal y Paola Holguín. Gabriel Vallejo, presidente del partido, la describió como una líder con experiencia, carácter y visión clara para el país.
Valencia no llega sola a esta candidatura: carga con el peso y el privilegio de una genealogía política singular. Su abuelo paterno fue el presidente conservador Guillermo León Valencia, y su abuelo materno fundó la Universidad de los Andes. A ese legado familiar se suma el tutelaje político de Álvaro Uribe, fundador del Centro Democrático y figura omnipresente en la historia reciente de la derecha colombiana, quien siguió el acto de nominación de manera virtual. Valencia le rindió tributo explícito, reconociendo que su candidatura se sostiene sobre una base construida por otros.
En su discurso, Valencia subrayó que su proyecto es colectivo antes que personal. Sus prioridades declaradas incluyen la generación de ingresos dignos, el fortalecimiento de la seguridad, la lucha contra la pobreza y la protección del medioambiente. También prometió atención especial a los jóvenes, los emprendedores y, de manera destacada, a las madres cabeza de hogar, para quienes anunció un sistema integral de cuidado.
Sin embargo, el camino que tiene por delante es escarpado. Las encuestas de principios de diciembre la ubican en apenas el 1,1% de intención de voto, mientras el senador oficialista Iván Cepeda lidera con casi 32 puntos. Antes de enfrentar esa distancia en las urnas generales, Valencia deberá superar las consultas interpartidarias de marzo de 2026, donde la derecha intentará unificarse en torno a un solo nombre. La primera vuelta presidencial está fijada para el 31 de mayo, con posible segunda vuelta el 21 de junio.
Paloma Valencia, a 47-year-old lawyer and Colombian senator, was formally named the presidential candidate of the Centro Democrático on Monday, positioning herself as the opposition's standard-bearer against President Gustavo Petro's leftist government in the 2026 election. Valencia, who carries the weight of her family's political legacy—her paternal grandfather was conservative president Guillermo León Valencia from 1962 to 1966, and her maternal grandfather founded the Universidad de los Andes—won an internal party survey that pitted her against fellow senators María Fernanda Cabal and Paola Holguín.
Gabriel Vallejo, the party president, announced the selection at a ceremony in Bogotá, describing Valencia as a leader with experience, character, and a clear vision for the country. The Centro Democrático, a right-wing party founded by former president Álvaro Uribe, framed her candidacy as a decisive step toward what it called the recovery of Colombia, explicitly positioning itself against what Vallejo termed a "castro-chavista" model of governance that the party argues is destroying the nation through radical reforms. Uribe, who served as president from 2002 to 2010 and remains the party's intellectual leader, attended the announcement virtually.
Valencia herself emphasized that her candidacy represents a collective project rather than a personal ambition, acknowledging that she stands on a foundation built by others. She paid tribute to the memory of assassinated senator Miguel Uribe Turbay and to Uribe himself, her political mentor. Her campaign priorities center on generating dignified income, strengthening security, combating poverty, and protecting the environment. She also highlighted youth and education as central concerns, and pledged support for entrepreneurs and women—particularly single mothers heading households—promising to create a comprehensive care system for this demographic.
Valencia brings more than twelve years of Senate experience to the race, a tenure during which the party says she has consistently defended institutional strength, Uribe's doctrine of democratic security, economic freedom, and the values that have historically anchored the Centro Democrático. She will represent the right-wing opposition in inter-party consultations scheduled for March 2026, where the various conservative and center-right movements will attempt to coalesce around a single unified candidate to challenge the left in the general election.
Her path to this nomination comes at a moment when the right faces significant headwinds in public opinion. A December 1st poll showed leftist senator Iván Cepeda of the ruling coalition commanding 31.9 percent voter support, while far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella held 18.2 percent and centrist Sergio Fajardo, the former mayor of Medellín, registered 8.5 percent. Valencia herself polled at just 1.1 percent, a stark gap between party selection and public preference that she will need to narrow substantially as the campaign unfolds. The first round of voting is scheduled for May 31, 2026, with a potential runoff on June 21 if no candidate achieves an outright majority.
Notable Quotes
Her candidacy is a collective project, not an individual one, built on a foundation she did not construct alone— Paloma Valencia
The Centro Democrático takes a decisive step for Colombia's recovery, moving firmly to defeat a castro-chavista model of government that is destroying the nation— Gabriel Vallejo, Centro Democrático party president
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a senator polling at 1.1 percent get chosen as the party's standard-bearer? That seems like a significant risk.
The Centro Democrático isn't choosing based on current polls—they're choosing based on who they believe can consolidate the right and grow. Valencia has twelve years of legislative credibility and a family name that carries weight in Colombian conservatism. The internal survey beat her rivals, which matters to party unity.
But the gap between 1.1 percent and Cepeda's 31.9 percent is enormous. What's her actual path to victory?
The March consultations are crucial. If the right can unify around her, she gains legitimacy and resources. Right now she's running as a party candidate, not a national figure. That changes once the inter-party negotiations happen and she becomes the unified opposition choice.
The party keeps talking about "castro-chavista" policies and Petro's radicalism. Is that her core message, or is there something else?
It's the frame, but her actual platform is more granular—security, economic opportunity, care systems for vulnerable women. The anti-Petro rhetoric is the container; the specific promises are what she'll need to sell to voters who don't yet know her name.
What does her family legacy actually mean in this race? Is it an asset or a liability?
Both. The Valencia and Laserna names open doors and signal continuity with Colombia's institutional tradition. But they also mark her as part of an establishment that some voters may blame for current problems. She'll have to prove she's not just inheriting a seat—she's offering something new.