Colombian senator dies two months after being shot. Who was Miguel Uribe?

Miguel Uribe was shot twice in the head while he was interacting with supporters at a campaign rally in Bogota on June 7.

Miguel Uribe, a Colombian senator and a potential presidential candidate from the right-wing opposition, died on Monday, two months after being shot in the head at a campaign rally.

Colombian senator Miguel Uribe was known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro's administration. (AFP)

The 39-year-old leader was shot twice in the head on June 7 in Bogota. Since then, he had been fighting for life in the hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries. Miguel Uribe even showed some improvement in July, but over the past weekend, his condition worsened due to a haemorrhage in his central nervous system.

Uribe's wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, said in an Instagram post early on Monday, "You'll always be the love of my life. Thank you for a life filled with love, thank you for being a father to the girls, the best dad to Alejandro."

"I ask God to show me the path to learn to live without you. Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children," she added.

Uribe's assassination brought back intense memories from Colombia's political past. In the 1980s and 1990s, four presidential candidates were murdered in separate attacks, which were blamed on drug cartels allied with the right-wing paramilitary death squads.

Who was Miguel Uribe?

Born on January 28, 1986, Miguel Uribe's family history is not an easy one. His mother, Diana Turbay, was a journalist. She was killed during a botched rescue mission in 1991 after Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel kidnapped her.

Uribe's family held a prominent place in the Colombian political circuit. His maternal grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay, served as Colombia's president from 1978 to 1982. His paternal grandfather, Rodrigo Uribe Echavarria, headed the Liberal Party and supported the successful 1986 presidential campaign of Virgilio Barco.

Miguel Uribe has himself had a rapid political rise. He became a renowned lawmaker for the right-wing Democratic Center party. The potential presidential candidate was known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro's administration.

Uribe was elected to Bogota's city council at the age of 25, being a key opponent of Petro, the then mayor of the capital. He criticised Petro's ways of handling waste management and social programs.

In 2016, a 30-year-old Uribe was appointed city government secretary, the youngest person to hold the position. He resigned from that office in 2018 to launch an unsuccessful run for mayor of Bogota as an Independent.

Uribe led the Senate slate for the Democratic Center party in the 2022 legislative elections with the "Colombia First" slogan, securing a seat in the chamber.

He made a place for himself in the chamber, becoming one of the primary forces against Petro, criticising the government's peace strategy aimed at ending Colombia's six-decade armed conflict. Uribe critiqued the government's move to halt the offensives on armed groups as peace talks failed, which led the administration's strategy to backfire.

Miguel Uribe was running to be picked as the Democratic Center's candidate in the 2026 presidential election.

Former President and leader of the right-wing opposition party, Alvaro Uribe, who is not related to the deceased Senator, described Miguel Uribe as "a hope for the homeland".

What happened to Miguel Uribe?

Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential candidate for the 2026 elections in Colombia, was shot thrice during a campaign rally in Bogota on June 7.

According to AFP, he was shot twice in the head and once in the knee.

The incident took place at the El Golfito Park in the Modelia neighborhood of the Fontibon district. Uribe was meeting supporters when a man allegedly approached from behind and opened fire.

Bogota Mayor Carlon Fernando Galán had at the time confirmed that Uribe was rushed to emergency medical care.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro released a statement that the government was “categorically and forcefully” condemned the violent incident and urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened.