The three big challenges that the next president of Colombia will face in the Colombian Caribbean: crime, energy and infrastructure

Barranquilla, a major city in Colombia's Caribbean region, is preparing for the second round of presidential elections scheduled for Sunday, June 21, 2026. The city has activated a comprehensive security plan aimed at ensuring the safe conduct of voting amid warnings about potential risks related to violence and electoral irregularities. This heightened security measure comes as part of a broader effort involving multiple government agencies and institutions, reflecting the strategic importance of the Caribbean region in the national political landscape. The security operation will be coordinated from a Unified Command Post (PMU) starting at 7:00 AM on election day. According to Miguel Andrés Camelo, commander of the Metropolitan Police of Barranquilla, a total of 3,424 personnel will be deployed across the city and its metropolitan area. Of these, 2,521 will be assigned to the 249 polling stations within Barranquilla and its surrounding areas. Additionally, 420 officers will be part of the Dialogue and Order Maintenance Unit. Supporting this deployment are 150 judicial police officers, along with military support from the National Army through the Gaula Caribe and Military Police units, the Navy with 180 crew members, and the Colombian Aerospace Force conducting aerial surveillance using drones and manned aircraft. Institutional oversight during the election will involve the Office of the Prosecutor, which will have prosecutors on duty to handle electoral crimes, and the Inspector General’s Office, which will deploy officials to monitor compliance with regulations. The Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) will also be present in the Atlantic Department with at least 50 observers. These measures aim to ensure transparency and prevent any disruptions to the electoral process. The need for such extensive security measures stems from alerts issued by independent organizations regarding the high risk of violence in the region. The MOE has classified Barranquilla as an area under extreme risk due to factors such as the presence of criminal structures, increased extortion, and territorial control dynamics. These conditions could potentially affect the electoral process through pressures on voters, campaign activities, or political actors, especially in historically sensitive parts of the city. On a departmental level, the Atlantic Department also faces varying levels of electoral risk, both in terms of security concerns and possible anomalies in voter participation, prompting reinforced institutional monitoring in the region. The presidential runoff between Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda highlights the significance of the Caribbean region in the national election. Nationally, De la Espriella led with 43.8% of the votes, while Cepeda secured 41%. However, in the Caribbean region, Cepeda emerged victorious in all seven departments, achieving 53.2% of the vote. In Barranquilla specifically, the results reflected this trend, although with narrow margins: Cepeda received 281,123 votes (47%) compared to De la Espriella's 272,331 votes (45.5%), marking one of the closest contests in the country. Barranquilla, as the capital of the Atlantic Department, holds significant electoral weight in the Caribbean region of Colombia. With nearly 22% of the country's population, the Caribbean region also houses some of the deepest social gaps in the nation, including four out of ten Colombians living in multidimensional poverty. Historical infrastructure deficits, growing concerns over insecurity, and challenges in providing basic services such as energy and clean water remain pressing issues in the region. An analysis by Fundesarrollo, Cesore, and Atarraya outlines three critical areas that the next president must address in the Caribbean: crime, energy, and infrastructure. Without substantial progress in these sectors, reducing poverty in the region will prove difficult. The study emphasizes that security has evolved from being solely a governmental concern to a factor directly affecting economic development in the region. Issues such as homicides and extortion have expanded their reach, impacting everything from large corporations to small businesses, transporters, and informal vendors. The researchers warn against using uniform strategies to tackle multifaceted criminal economies linked to drug trafficking, micro-trafficking, smuggling, territorial disputes, and regional and international criminal structures. They argue that effective solutions require differentiated approaches tailored to each local context. One of the main recommendations involves shifting the fight against organized crime into the financial domain by creating systems for financial traceability, strengthening property investigations, accelerating asset forfeiture processes, and increasing international cooperation to track resources derived from drug trafficking, smuggling, and other illegal economies. The report also suggests establishing regional centers for criminal intelligence that integrate information from the police, prosecution, military forces, and local authorities. These centers would utilize data analytics and georeferencing tools to anticipate criminal movements and focus interventions on strategic corridors, ports, and zones prone to instability. Such initiatives aim to enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement and improve public safety in the region.