Petro Insists on Electoral Fraud and Rejects Legitimacy of De la Espriella's Government
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
Colombian President Gustavo Petro intensified his rejection of the results from the second round of the presidential elections held on June 21, insisting that Abelardo de la Espriella 'did not win' and that he does not recognize the legitimacy of the government set to take office on August 7. In a lengthy message posted on his X account, Petro reiterated his claims of alleged electoral fraud through algorithm manipulation during the counting process, asserting without evidence that the vote was altered to favor De la Espriella, who won the election with 12.9 million votes. Petro stated, 'I do not recognize the legitimacy of the incoming government' and maintained that 'Abelardo did not win the elections,' as 'the president of Colombia... according to the decision of the Colombians is the philosopher Iván Cepeda,' who received 12.7 million votes. Following the electoral day on June 21, the outgoing president had claimed he would respect the counting results, but since then, his allegations of fraud have escalated despite electoral observation missions congratulating the National Registry and the National Electoral Council for organizing the elections. Petro also called on citizens to mobilize on July 20, Independence Day and the installation of the new Congress, to 'raise the cry of national independence in all public squares,' a call he had already made on Sunday to defend the social reforms promoted during his government. The transition process between the outgoing executive and the team of the elected president, who will take power on August 7, began last week with meetings between elected Vice President José Manuel Restrepo and outgoing Finance Minister Germán Ávila, who led the process while Petro met with Pope Leo XIV in Rome. Petro and De la Espriella have ruled out meeting personally during the transition, so it is taking place solely through the teams designated by both administrations, an unprecedented occurrence in the country's recent politics.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
