On March 8, 2026 Colombia held key parliamentary elections, marking the beginning of a crucial election year for the country.
President Gustavo Petro's party achieved victory, but will have to build a coalition with other parties to implement the announced reforms, including the controversial proposal to rewrite the country's constitution, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The party “Historical Union: Colombia Can“ Petro's party won almost a quarter of the Senate seats in Sunday's elections, more than any other party.
But even its fiercest opponents increased their representation, with the "Democratic Center" party - the conservative formation led by former President Alvaro Uribe - gaining 17 seats in the 103-member Senate.
In the House of Representatives, the "Democratic Center" received the most votes overall, while the "Historical Union" came in fifth. However, votes in the House do not always directly correspond to the number of seats. After implementing a formula to distribute seats among different regions, Petro's party could gain greater representation.
Traditional parties, including the liberals and conservatives, lost ground in the Senate, and the Green Party also saw a weaker performance.
The parliamentary elections came just two months before Colombia's presidential election, which will be crucial for the current government's security policies and the continuation of economic reforms, the AP notes.
During its four years in power, Petro's administration has pushed for negotiations with the country's remaining rebel groups and changes to labor laws, including a 23% increase in the minimum wage, despite inflation last year being 5%.
Petro has also said he wants to nationalize Colombia's health care system so that private insurance companies no longer manage social security payments. He is also pushing for changes to the pension system that would allow the state to manage a larger share of pension payments.
Petro's opponents have threatened to reverse some of these reforms, which they say lead to wasteful government spending.
The US authorities have chosen 17 "weak countries with no experience" in fighting drug production for the alliance created at the "Shield of the Americas" summit in Miami, said Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who was not invited to the meeting.
"We were not in Miami. I will not criticize anyone for creating political alliances. But I think it is impossible to create a "southern shield" with 17 small, weak countries with no experience in fighting cocaine - it will just have holes“, Petro said, speaking at the 69th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.
He believes that Colombia will play an important role in the anti-drug coalition. “I believe that given our experience and the fact that we have formed an alliance with 75 police agencies in Europe, Asia and other regions of the world, including the United States, we are better suited to form an anti-cocaine shield“, he said.
During his speech, Petro reiterated that to effectively combat drug trafficking, it is necessary to primarily fight criminal networks and the problem of consumption, not local producers.
On March 7, US President Donald Trump hosted the leaders of several Latin American countries at the “Shield of the Americas“ summit in Miami. Among them were the leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, El Salvador, Ecuador and the newly elected president of Chile.
The leaders of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba were not invited to the meeting. During the summit, the American leader announced the creation of an international military coalition against drug cartels. According to the Pentagon chief, 18 countries have already joined the coalition.