Estefanel Gutiérrez, a representative from the Atlántico region belonging to the Cambio Radical party, was elected president of the Commission for the Protection of the Rights of Black Communities, Afro-Colombians, Raizales, and Palenqueras on September 1, 2026. ^[1] On September 1, congressmen Óscar Benavides and Estefanel Gutiérrez clashed over the presidency of the Afro Commission in the Colombian Congress. ^[2] The election of the new board for the Congressional Afro Commission in Colombia ended in controversy following a heated dispute between representatives Estefanel Gutiérrez and Óscar Benavides. ^[3] Gutiérrez obtained 29 votes to secure the presidency, defeating Óscar Benavides, who holds one of the two seats for the Afro constituency. ^[4] Several congressists from the Pacto Histórico party, including Kevin Gómez, Natalia Moreno, and Laura Daniela Beltrán, denounced that the right-wing bloc in the Congress broke an agreement that would have placed Benavides in the presidency. ^[5] Óscar Benavides, a representative from the Pacto Histórico party, was the candidate defeated by Gutiérrez for the presidency of the commission. ^[6] Óscar Benavides, a representative for Afro-descendant communities, stated that there was an agreement to rotate the presidency of the commission among different parties over the four-year term. ^[7] During the confrontation, Gutiérrez told Benavides that he was 'more black' than him, a comment Gutiérrez later clarified was made in a moment where others were claiming similar superiority. ^[8] Estefanel Gutiérrez was elected to preside over the commission for the first year, while the debate shifted to the second period and the role of external sectors in the decision. ^[9] Óscar Benavides, representing the special constituency of Afro-descendant communities, criticized the imposition of leadership by Enrique Gómez, arguing that outsiders do not understand the causes and struggles of the Afro population. ^[10] The Afro Commission is a bicameral body in the Colombian Congress responsible for processing laws and ensuring the rights of Afro-Colombian, black, raizal, and palenquera communities. ^[11]