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Sunday's vote is likely to emphasize the power of local and
regional political families, as well as coalitions, rather than
individual parties, according to analysts.
"There's a combination of factors. The opposition and
traditional political sectors have tried to sell the elections
as a referendum on the president and I believe that a lot of
votes will be like that," said Green Alliance Senator Ariel
Avila.
"There's going to be a big rap on the knuckles for (Petro's
movement) Pacto Historico," he said.
Most candidates in Sunday's elections are backed by coalitions
involving several parties or by signatures from citizens which
allow them to run as independents.
"There's a very big dispute between traditional elites and new
political forces. Most of the historic bosses have returned to
the regions. Without a doubt, what's at stake here is the 2026
presidential campaign," Avila said.
Almost 39 million Colombians are eligible to vote on Sunday.
Campaigning has been marked by deteriorating security due to the
presence of illegal armed groups - which remain active despite
Petro's efforts to negotiate peace - and threats to candidates.
A recent report from the human rights ombudsman's office said
more than 36% of municipalities face an extreme or high risk of
violence during the elections, up from 23% in regional elections
in 2019.
There is also a risk of electoral fraud, observers have warned.
"The main complaints have concerned irregularities on the part
of serving public officials, and in advertising and the media,"
said Mauricio Vela, coordinator of advocacy group the Electoral
Observation Mission.
"However, during election day the most reported crimes tend to
be the buying and selling of votes," he said.
(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Oliver Griffin;
Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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