De la Espriella propuso una coalición para conseguir mayorías en el Congreso: apoyará a quien no haya sido “cómplice de Petro y Cepeda”

Lawyer and presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has declared that his movement, Defensores de La Patria, will not present its own lists for the Congress of the Republic in the 2026 elections. This decision aims to prevent vote fragmentation and foster a “patriotic coalition” that can ensure a majority.

In a statement shared on his X account, the legal expert argued that forming a majority in legislative bodies is essential to halt what he termed the “destructive advance” of “petrismo” and its allies, as well as to rebuild a country he believes has suffered from the current government’s decisions under President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader.

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“They have surrendered pieces of sovereignty to criminals, embraced dictatorships, and sowed class hatred while filling their pockets and those of their allies,” asserted the presidential candidate.

He emphasized that Colombia’s political climate is of “mortal danger,” placing the blame for a crisis marked by “uncontrolled insecurity, rampant corruption, and anti-values that destroy family, property, and freedom” on President Gustavo Petro. In his view, the State has been turned into a “booty,” justice into a “political weapon,” and the public force into a “scapegoat.”

“We do not forget that Cepeda attempted, through illegal schemes, to destroy President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, who was innocent,” he said, referring to the senator and presidential hopeful Iván Cepeda Castro (aligned with the Government).

In this context, he explained that Congress needs to serve as a “dam” to contain the advance of the ruling party. He proposed forming a “patriotic unity coalition” with like-minded majorities and common goals aligned with the right.

“I will not divide the patriotic vote for even a second. On the contrary: I will channel all my energy, my voice, and my structure towards supporting any candidate — from any party — who meets the paramount objective: to confront, defeat, and politically punish all those, led by Petro’s government, who have driven Colombia into the abyss of insecurity, corruption, anti-values, and submission to narcoterrorism,” De la Espriella stated in the announcement.

Thus, he called on his supporters to back any congressional candidate who has not been “complicit with Petro and Cepeda” and who shares the goal of defeating the ruling party. He urged members of his movement to act accordingly, stressing that “this is the utmost coherence, to defeat the common enemy with the weapons of democracy and the votes of patriots.”

“In all parties, there are men and women who, despite overwhelming pressures from the regime, have stood firm for the fatherland: their stances and their votes on the vile reforms pushed by the disastrous Petro will guide the Defenders of La Patria in determining who among them deserves our votes, as true patriots,” he specified.

Additionally, he called on the public to vote and support the Centro Democrático, so that former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez—who has an awaiting decision regarding his legal status following a conviction and subsequent acquittal on three charges—can become the number 25 senator from his party and lead the “reconquest of Colombia” from Congress.

The presidential hopeful also expressed his support for the Salvación Nacional list, led by Enrique Gómez and former senator Carlos Felipe Mejía: “We will add as many seats as possible to the marvelous list of Salvación Nacional.”