July 9, 2026 in the city of Chiquinquira: Colombia’s new President Abelardo de la Espriella is hugged by a supporter.Image: keystone
July 11, 2026, 3:43 p.mJuly 11, 2026, 3:43 p.m
After the presidential election, the USA and several Latin American countries called on Colombia’s authorities to respect the constitution and ensure an orderly transfer of power. “We make a strong appeal to all Colombian authorities to act in strict accordance with the constitution, the law and democratic principles,” it said in a joint statement. In addition to the USA, the signatories include Argentina, Ecuador and El Salvador as well as other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that are politically close to US President Donald Trump.
The governments observed with “great concern” recent statements and actions that, without sufficient evidence, sowed doubts about the integrity of the electoral process in Colombia and created uncertainty about the institutional transition. At the same time, the signatories emphasized that only the will of the voters, officially determined by the responsible electoral authorities, gives state power democratic legitimacy. They rejected attempts to delegitimize or hinder the officially announced election results or the transition process.
Petro did not recognize the election victory of his right-wing successor
The background is the dispute over the change of government in Colombia. President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella suspended the formal transition process after the outgoing left-wing government led by President Gustavo Petro questioned the election results over alleged electoral fraud.
Petro later announced that he would hand over power on August 6, but still did not recognize the election victory of his right-wing successor. De la Espriella accuses the government camp of attempting a coup.
In the presidential election, the candidate supported by US President Trump received around 49.6 percent of the vote, while the left-wing government candidate Iván Cepeda received around 48.7 percent. Petro himself was no longer allowed to run because the re-election of the president is prohibited by the constitution. (sda/dpa)