Minute30.com .- Colombia’s political panorama for the 2026 presidential elections has taken a definitive turn this Monday, December 22. After an intense agenda of meetings over the weekend and a final summit held this morning, it was officially confirmed that the senator and pre-candidate of the Democratic Center, Paloma Valencia, joins the so-called ‘Great Consulta for Colombia’.

This alliance seeks to unify forces of the center and right to elect a single candidate on March 8, 2026, who will compete in the first presidential round on May 31. With the entry of Valencia, the coalition is emerging as the bloc with the greatest political weight in the country.

The team of seven, and one more on the way?

Paloma Valencia arrives at a board where high-profile national names already appear. The team is made up, until now, of:

David Luna (Senator of Radical Change)

Vicky Dávila (Journalist and candidate)

Juan Manuel Galán (New Liberalism)

Aníbal Gaviria (Former Governor of Antioquia)

Juan Daniel Oviedo (Former director of DANE)

Mauricio Cárdenas (Former Minister of Finance)

Paloma Valencia (Democratic Center)

It is expected that in the next few hours the former Minister of Defense, Juan Carlos Pinzón, will make a statement.

Read also: The political board moves: Paloma Valencia enters the “Great Consultation for Colombia” for 2026

The “approval” of Álvaro Uribe and the autonomy of Paloma

One of the key moments of the day was the statement by former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez. Through his social networks, the political head of the Democratic Center made it clear that, after an “intense dialogue” with the parliamentary bench on Sunday, the final decision fell on Valencia.

“For my part, I will abide by the final decision of our candidate, Senator Paloma, whom we will support with all our enthusiasm,” said Uribe, granting a kind of “blank check” to the senator to compete outside the exclusive umbrella of the party and seek national convergence.

“Country Purpose”: The spirit of unity

Senator David Luna, who has acted as one of the coalition’s spokespersons, highlighted that Valencia’s arrival is the result of a “frank conversation” and in a spirit of unity. According to Luna, the objective is to present Colombia with a proposal that transcends personal interests and focuses on the country’s institutional recovery.

For analysts, this movement is a masterstroke to avoid the dispersion of the vote in 2026. By bringing together figures ranging from the liberal thinking of Galán and Gaviria, through the technical profile of Oviedo and Cárdenas, to the opposition firmness of Valencia and Dávila, the “Gran Consulta” positions itself as the rival to defeat for the current government forces.

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