Avella was a candidate for Vice President in the 2014 presidential election for the Alternative Democratic Pole and Patriotic Union alliance.

Aída Yolanda Avella Esquivel was born on 23 January 1949 to a liberal family in Sogamoso, Boyacá Department.

[2] At 16, Avella entered the National University of Colombia, where she graduated with a degree in pedagogy and psychology.

She joined the Colombian Communist Party, which became the Patriotic Union after the Agreement of the Uribe [es].

[3] Following her reelection to the Senate in 2018, Avella announced her intent to push forward a universal pensions bill.