Colombian Presidential Candidate Iván Cepeda Names Indigenous Leader Aída Quilcué as Vice-Presidential Running Mate

Senator and presidential candidate for the Historic Pact, Iván Cepeda, announced that the prominent indigenous leader and current senator, Aída Quilcué, will accompany him as a candidate for vice president in the upcoming presidential elections on May 31 in Colombia.

The announcement comes ahead of the first registration deadline for presidential candidates, scheduled for this Friday, and following the legislative elections and inter-party consultations held on Sunday. With this move, Cepeda becomes the first candidate to officially confirm who will be his running mate on the ballot.

Cepeda emphasized that the decision was made jointly with the coalition’s political leadership. “I am honored to announce this decision, since the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) and Aída represent the best of the traditions of resistance, social struggle, and the building of a just and democratic country,” the senator stated.

Cepeda added that Quilcué’s presence symbolizes the wisdom of a nation that cries out for justice and the recognition of its ethnic and cultural diversity. “Together we will walk this path,” he declared.

El candidato presidencial colombiano, Iván Cepeda, anuncia que Aída Quilcué será su fórmula vicepresidencial por el Pacto Histórico en las #EleccionesColombia2026. “Quilcué, lideresa indígena Nasa, es una incansable defensora de DD.HH. y referente en la lucha por el territorio y… pic.twitter.com/AcKsrsR3Y3

— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) March 9, 2026

Who is Aída Quilcué?
Originally from the Nasa people (Piçkwe Tha Fiw reservation, Cauca), Aída Quilcué is one of the most emblematic figures of the Colombian indigenous movement. Her career is marked by her tireless defense of human rights and her active participation in peace processes.

Aída Quilcué’s career trajectory is defined by a deep commitment to social causes, having been an authority in her reservation and held high management positions in the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) and the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC).

Her political influence was decisive at the international level by leading the inclusion of the Ethnic Chapter in the Havana Peace Agreements between the State and the FARC-EP, a work of defense of life that earned her the National Human Rights Award in 2021.

However, her path has been marked by the systematic violence suffered by leaders in the country. In 2008, her husband, Edwin Legarda, was assassinated in an attack carried out by the military, an act for which the Colombian state apologized in 2018.

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The safety of the now vice-presidential candidate remains a pressing concern. In early February, Quilcué was subjected to an illegal detention while traveling between the municipalities of Inzá and Totoró, in the department of Cauca.

The nomination of Aída Quilcué as Iván Cepeda’s vice-presidential running mate is not only a strategic move in the electoral chess game, but also a profound political message for marginalized sectors of Colombian society. By choosing a leader who has survived state and paramilitary persecution, the Historic Pact reaffirms its commitment to sectors that have historically been excluded from decision-making.

This alliance symbolizes the union between the parliamentary struggle for human rights and the ancestral resistance of Indigenous peoples. In a country where violence against social leaders remains an open wound, Quilcué’s candidacy places at the center of the national debate the urgent need for peace with social justice, ethnic identity, and genuine recognition of the diversity that defines the Colombian nation.

(Telesur)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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