Views: 4
Shooting of senator sends shock waves through fragile Colombian democracy.
Colombia was thrust into a state of uncertainty and fear Monday after an attack on presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay left the 39-year-old senator in critical condition, raising alarms about political violence ahead of next year’s national elections.
Uribe Turbay, a rising figure in the right-wing Democratic Center party, was shot Saturday while delivering a speech in Bogotá’s Modelia neighborhood, in the western part of the capital. According to doctors, he underwent emergency surgeries to his head and leg and remains in a “gravely serious” condition with limited response, according to Dr. Adolfo Llinás Volpe, medical director of the hospital treating him.
His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, shared a plea for prayers on social media alongside a photo of her holding his bloodstained hand: “Miguel needs a miracle. I ask you with all my heart not to stop praying.”
The attack has sent shock waves across the country, evoking painful memories of the 1990 presidential campaign, when candidates Luis Carlos Galán, Bernardo Jaramillo, and Carlos Pizarro were all assassinated. With the 2026 election now within view, political leaders are expressing growing concern that violence is once again being used as a tool to disrupt Colombia’s fragile democratic process.
Authorities arrested a 15-year-old suspect at the scene and recovered a firearm. Prosecutors believe the teen was acting under orders from a criminal organization. “We are perfectly aware that this young man is merely an executioner,” said Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo. “Our goal is to determine who orchestrated this criminal act.” She confirmed that more than 180 officials, including prosecutors and intelligence agents, are working the case.
Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez Suárez said investigators are exploring three possible motives: a targeted attack on Uribe Turbay, politically motivated violence, or an effort to destabilize the Petro government by targeting opposition leaders. He also disclosed that President Gustavo Petro’s daughter, Antonella Petro, and members of the minister’s own family have received threats in the days since the shooting.
President Petro ordered increased security for opposition leaders and high-ranking officials. Interior Minister Armando Benedetti announced an emergency meeting with leaders of all political parties, urging national unity. “Premature finger-pointing only distances us from the truth and brings us closer to a spiral of hatred and violence,” Benedetti warned.
The attack drew condemnation from across Colombia’s political spectrum, with civic groups, lawmakers, and human rights advocates calling for restraint and a collective commitment to peaceful elections.
Although Uribe Turbay was not considered a frontrunner in the race, his candidacy represented one of the most vocal opposition platforms against the leftist Petro administration. Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, was elected in 2022 and is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection.
Uribe Turbay, the grandson of former Colombian President Julio César Turbay Ayala (1978–1982), and of Liberal Party heavyweight Rodrigo Uribe Echavarría, has long been immersed in Colombian politics. His personal story is also one of tragedy. In a campaign video last October, filmed in the Antioquian mountains, he recalled how his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped and killed by the Medellín Cartel in 1991, when he was nearly five years old.
“A place with deep meaning for me,” he said in the video. “It was here that my mother was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar.”
Uribe Turbay entered politics at 25, winning a seat on Bogotá’s City Council in 2012. He later served as the city’s Secretary of Government under then-Mayor Enrique Peñalosa. In 2022, he was elected senator after being recruited by former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez — no relation.
He formally launched his presidential campaign in March, emphasizing national security, foreign investment, and economic growth. While polling behind other conservative contenders, Uribe Turbay was seen as a rising star within the opposition coalition.
Now, his future — and Colombia’s democratic stability — hangs in the balance. With the country once again haunted by the specter of political bloodshed, many are left hoping not only for his survival, but for a broader reckoning with the violent forces still lurking within Colombian politics.
The presidential election is scheduled for May 31, 2026.
****
Miami herald