The party was founded after a failed referendum in October 2016 with the majority of Colombian voters voting to reject the peace agreement. The "yes" campaign to accept the peace negotiations were pushed by President Santos, while the "no" campaign to reject the agreement was backed by former president Álvaro Uribe. The "no" vote won with 50.2% of the vote. The failed referendum came after four years of peace negotiations. After mild alterations to the peace agreements, the government approved the new deal by pushing it through Congress. This has led to some controversy with those who voted no arguing that the deal offered too much leniency.