Colombia’s Electoral Authority Certifies New Congress, Confirming Fragmented Legislature for 2026-2030 Term

Composition of the new Congress

Colombia’s National Electoral Council (CNE) has officially certified the members of the country’s new Congress for the 2026 – 2030 legislative term, which was sworn in on July 20, through Resolution 3328 of 2026, concluding the national vote-counting process for the legislative elections.

More about Colombia’s electoral process? Colombia Officially Certifies President-Elect Abelardo de la Espriella. Here’s How the Country’s Vote Validation System Works

The resolution confirmed the election of 102 senators chosen by popular vote following the official tally of 19,478,739 ballots. The Senate will also include former presidential candidate Iván Cepeda, who was awarded the opposition seat guaranteed under Colombia’s Constitution after finishing second in the presidential election.

In the Senate, the Pacto Histórico coalition, led by outgoing President Gustavo Petro, emerged as the largest bloc with 26 seats, although well short of an outright majority. It is followed by the Centro Democrático party with 17 seats, the Partido Liberal Colombiano with 13, the Alianza por Colombia coalition, led by the Partido Verde (Green Party), with 11, the Partido Conservador with 10, the Partido de la U with eight, the Cambio Radical-ALMA coalition with seven, the Ahora Colombia coalition with five, and the National Salvation Movement, President Abelardo de la Espriella‘s party, with four seats.

The remaining two Senate seats correspond to Indigenous constituencies and are held by representatives of the Indigenous and Social Alternative Movement (MAIS) and the National Organization of Indigenous Authorities of Colombia.

The CNE also certified the composition of the House of Representatives, which consists of 183 lawmakers elected from Colombia’s departments, the Capital District of Bogotá and the country’s special electoral constituencies.

Unlike the Senate, which is elected through a nationwide constituency, members of the House of Representatives are elected from territorial and special constituencies, resulting in a more geographically diverse chamber with stronger representation from regional political parties.

The 183 House seats are distributed as follows: 161 represent Colombia’s departments and Bogotá; 16 are reserved for victims of the country’s armed conflict through the Special Temporary Peace Constituencies; two represent Afro-Colombian communities; one represents the Raizal community of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina; one is reserved for Indigenous communities; one represents Colombians living abroad; and one additional seat is reserved for the opposition and will be held by Aida Quilcué, the vice presidential running mate of Iván Cepeda.

Coalition alignments begin

With the installation of the new Congress, the deadline also began under Law 1909 of 2018, known as the Opposition Statute, requiring political parties represented in Congress to formally declare whether they will support the government, join the opposition or remain independent. The deadline expires on August 20, 2026.

So far, President Abelardo de la Espriella has secured the support of four political parties: National Salvation, Cambio Radical, Centro Democrático, and the Partido Conservador.

The backing of Cambio Radical is particularly significant because newly appointed Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara Restrepo belongs to the party and will be responsible for building legislative majorities for the new administration. The Char clan, the influential political and business group based in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla, has supported De la Espriella since the beginning of his presidential campaign, is also part of Cambio Radical.

By contrast, the Pacto Histórico announced it will serve as the main opposition force under the leadership of former President Gustavo Petro and Senator Iván Cepeda. Meanwhile, the Liberal, Green Party, and De La U have yet to decide whether they will join the government coalition, remain independent or declare themselves in opposition.

Read more: De la Espriella Begins Building Congressional Support with Interior Minister Appointment and Early Political Alliances

A fragmented Congress

Combined, the Pacto Histórico will hold the largest congressional caucus with 69 lawmakers (43 in the House of Representatives and 26 in the Senate), followed by the Centro Democrático with 47 seats, and the Liberals with 37.

The distribution confirms a highly fragmented Congress, with no political force holding an outright majority in either chamber, where 52 votes are required in the Senate and 92 in the House. As a result, both the government and the opposition will need to negotiate support for each bill individually, a situation similar to that faced by the outgoing administration.

The first legislative session provided an early example of that dynamic. During the vote for Senate president, widely considered the most influential position in Congress, De la Espriella’s government backed Senator Alfredo Deluque of Partido de La U in an effort to strengthen ties with the party, which has yet to define its relationship with the new administration.

Instead, Senator Honorio Henríquez of the Centro Democrático won the post with 56 votes, defeating Deluque, who received 45.

The outcome underscored the absence of stable legislative majorities and suggested that relations between the executive and Congress will depend on continuous negotiations over the next four years within Colombia’s constitutional system of separated powers and institutional checks and balances.