13 Facts About Roy Barreras

Roy Leonardo Barreras Montealegre was born on 27 November 1963 and is a Colombian politician and 2018 presidential candidate, he had served as senator from 2010 to 2023 and President of the Senate of Colombia from July 2022 to May 2023.

Roy Barreras entered politics in 2006 when he was elected as a member of the Chamber of Representatives.

Roy Barreras was born into a humble family in Cali, Colombia.

Roy Barreras's grandparents were from Spain, and fled to Colombia during the Spanish Civil War.

Roy Barreras's mother was from the countryside, her own family displaced during the Colombian conflict, and his father a medical doctor who was forced to travel far from home for extended periods as part of his profession.

Roy Barreras struggled during his childhood with bullying from his classmates, working odd jobs including as a taxi driver and an assistant in a bakery.

Roy Barreras eventually followed in his father's footsteps and became a medical doctor, working for more than two decades in various parts of Colombia.

Roy Barreras was elected to congress for the first time in 2006, and has succeeded in each of his re-election campaigns since.

On 14 June 2017, Senator Roy Barreras officially began his 2018 presidential campaign with a letter to constituents that was published in La Semana.

Barreras was a supporter of former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, of the Partido de la U Senator Barreras is considered a centrist, and his policy positions reflect his complicated upbringing.

Roy Barreras has the support of liberals for his advocacy for LGBT parenting and the rights of LGBT parents to adopt children in Colombia.

Roy Barreras has accused those who oppose the peace process of being populists whose rhetoric could do lasting damage to peace in the country.

Roy Barreras lost in the first round of the 2022 presidential elections that eventually saw Gustavo Petro of the Historic Pact for Colombia party elected to the presidency.