Colombia’s Pacto Histórico Sets Rigorous Rules to Control 2026 Presidential Candidate Selection

In a move that reveals how political insiders tighten control under the guise of democracy, Colombia's ruling leftist party, Pacto Histórico—home to President Gustavo Petro—recently established stringent rules for selecting their presidential candidate ahead of the 2026 elections. At the party’s national convention in Bogotá, several potential candidates surfaced: former ministers Carolina Corcho and Susana Muhamad; former Medellín Mayor Daniel Quintero; senators Gloria Flórez and María José Pizarro; ex-ambassador Camilo Romero; and Gustavo Bolívar, former director of the Department for Social Prosperity. But their path to candidacy is anything but open. How Free Is the “Open” Consultation? The purportedly "open...