In 12 days on Sunday 8 March 2026, Colombia will hold Congressional Elections. There are considerable concerns for the safety of voters and because of the pressure that armed groups could bring to bear on voters in areas of complex conflict.   

As a result, for the second time in its history, the European Union are deploying an extensive Election Observation Mission to Colombia to monitor the Congressional (8 March) and Presidential elections ( May), with more than a hundred observers distributed across different regions of the country.

The agreement that this would happen was signed back in December (18 December 2025) by the EU Delegation and the Colombian National Registry, following an invitation by Colombia’s electoral authorities in September 2025.

The International Mission increases the confidence of Colombian citizens as well as transparency helping to ensure legitimacy of the process.

Esteban González Pons, a Vice-president of the European Parliament, has been appointed as the mission’s Chief Observer by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, the European External Action Service (EEAS).

On 26 January 2026 the EU deployed the mission’s core team which consists of 10 election experts they were joined by 38 long-term observers this month (February 2026). These observers will now be deployed across Colombia.

Some good news was announced by the Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN) the largest remaining guerrilla group in Colombia. On the ELN website they say they will comply with the Colombian Episcopal Conference’s call for “electoral peace” and in recognition of Pope Leo XIV statement that “peace cannot be imposed by force,” the ELN will implement, as it has done during the last four elections, a unilateral ceasefire. It is essential that all armed groups agree to a ceasefire during the election process.