Security at campaign events has become a fraught calculation
In the Colombian municipality of Honda, an armed woman was detained during a campaign rally for presidential candidate Paloma Valencia, casting a long shadow over the country's electoral season. The incident arrives less than a year after the assassination of senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, shot at his own campaign event in a killing attributed to dissident FARC forces, and reminds a nation still navigating its post-conflict identity that the space between democracy and violence remains dangerously thin. As the right-wing coalition prepares for its March 8 primary, the question of who can safely seek power — and under what conditions — weighs heavily on Colombia's political conscience.
- An armed woman was seized by police at a Valencia rally in Honda, Tolima, where former president Álvaro Uribe was also present — a security breach that sent immediate alarm through the Centro Democrático party.
- The arrest lands against the unhealed wound of senator Miguel Uribe Turbay's assassination in June 2024, shot in the head at a campaign event and dead two months later, with the Second Marquetalia dissident faction suspected of ordering the killing.
- The Centro Democrático publicly demanded that President Gustavo Petro's government guarantee the safety of democratic and electoral participation, signaling that trust between the right-wing opposition and the current administration is strained.
- Valencia leads the right-wing primary field with 41.6 percent in polling, making her both the coalition's strongest asset and its most visible target as the March 8 consultation approaches.
- Authorities are investigating the detained woman's motives, and the outcome of that inquiry is expected to shape security protocols for campaigns in the weeks ahead.
Una mujer armada fue detenida el jueves durante un acto de campaña de Paloma Valencia, candidata presidencial del Centro Democrático, en Honda, Tolima. El incidente ocurrió mientras Valencia hacía campaña junto al expresidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez, lo que generó una alarma inmediata en la cúpula del partido ante la presencia de una persona armada en un evento político de alto perfil.
La Policía Nacional actuó con rapidez para detener a la mujer, una intervención que el Centro Democrático elogió públicamente. El partido aprovechó el episodio para exigir al gobierno de Gustavo Petro garantías plenas para la participación democrática y electoral, dejando en evidencia la tensión entre la oposición de derecha y el ejecutivo en un año electoral decisivo.
El contexto que rodea el incidente es sombrío. El 7 de junio del año pasado, el senador Miguel Uribe Turbay fue baleado en la cabeza durante un evento de campaña en Bogotá y murió dos meses después. Nueve personas han sido arrestadas en relación con el crimen; la hipótesis principal de la policía apunta a la Segunda Marquetalia como responsable intelectual del asesinato.
Valencia encabeza la consulta interna de la coalición de derecha con el 41,6 por ciento de intención de voto, muy por delante de sus rivales más cercanos. Con la consulta programada para el 8 de marzo y la primera vuelta presidencial el 31 de mayo, las autoridades investigan los motivos de la detenida en un clima donde la seguridad en campaña se ha convertido en una preocupación tan urgente como el propio debate electoral.
A woman carrying a firearm was arrested Thursday during a campaign rally for Paloma Valencia, the right-wing presidential candidate from Colombia's Centro Democrático party, in the municipality of Honda in Tolima department. The incident unfolded as Valencia campaigned alongside former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, drawing immediate concern from party leadership about the security breach at a political event.
The National Police responded quickly to detain the armed woman, an intervention the Centro Democrático publicly praised in a statement released after the incident. The party expressed worry over the presence of an armed individual at a gathering where Valencia was present with Uribe, one of the party's most prominent figures. The episode prompted the Centro Democrático to demand that President Gustavo Petro's government provide full guarantees for democratic and electoral participation, signaling anxiety about the safety of campaign activities.
Valencia is competing in what the right-wing coalition calls "The Great Consultation for Colombia," a primary election scheduled for March 8 that will determine which candidate represents the conservative movement in the first round of presidential voting on May 31. According to the most recent Invamer polling data, Valencia commands substantial support in this contest, leading with 41.6 percent of intended votes. The next closest contenders—Juan Manuel Galán at 12.2 percent and both Juan Daniel Oviedo and Vicky Dávila at 10.4 percent each—trail significantly behind her.
The detention arrives against a backdrop of political violence that has shaken the right-wing coalition. On June 7 of last year, Miguel Uribe Turbay, a Centro Democrático senator and one of the party's leading candidates for this year's presidential race, was shot in the head during a campaign event in Bogotá. He died two months later, on August 11, 2025. Nine people have been arrested in connection with the assassination, including a minor who fired the shots and was sentenced on August 27 to seven years in prison for attempted homicide and illegal weapons possession. Police have indicated that their primary theory points to the Second Marquetalia, a dissident faction of the former FARC led by the alias Iván Márquez, as having ordered the killing.
The right-wing movement is seeking to reclaim power after Colombia's first left-wing government took office, making security at campaign events an increasingly fraught concern. The arrest of the armed woman at Valencia's rally underscores the tension between democratic participation and the threat environment that candidates and their supporters now navigate. Authorities are investigating the woman's motives and circumstances, with the investigation likely to shape how campaigns proceed in the weeks leading up to the March 8 primary.
Notable Quotes
The Centro Democrático expressed concern over the armed woman's presence at an event where the candidate was accompanied by former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez— Centro Democrático party statement
The party demanded that President Gustavo Petro's government provide full guarantees for democratic and electoral participation— Centro Democrático party
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would someone bring a gun to a campaign rally? What was she trying to do?
That's what investigators are trying to figure out. The statement doesn't say whether she had explicit intent to harm Valencia or Uribe, or if she was there for some other reason entirely. The police response was fast enough that nothing happened.
But the timing feels deliberate—this happens right after a senator from the same party was assassinated at his own campaign event.
Exactly. That's why the party is so rattled. Miguel Uribe Turbay was killed just eight months ago at a similar event. For them, this isn't abstract—it's a pattern they're watching for.
So is this woman connected to the same group that killed Uribe Turbay?
There's no indication of that yet. Police are investigating. But the party is already linking the incidents rhetorically, demanding security guarantees from the government.
What does that demand actually mean? What can the government do?
It's partly political theater—the right-wing opposition pressuring Petro's administration to show it can protect their candidates. But it's also real: they want more security details, better vetting at events, maybe intelligence about threats. The assassination proved that campaign rallies are vulnerable.
And Valencia is leading the primary polls by a huge margin.
By more than triple her nearest rival. If she wins the primary in March, she'll be the face of the right's attempt to take back the presidency. That makes her a high-value target in the eyes of anyone who wants to disrupt that effort.