Petro plans farewell address as Colombia handover dispute widens
Gustavo Petro has called supporters into the streets before a farewell speech, while clashing with president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella over the inauguration.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro is due to give a public farewell speech Monday as a tense transfer of power follows one of the country’s closest presidential elections, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. The address comes after Petro urged supporters to mobilize on Colombia’s Independence Day, adding political pressure less than three weeks before President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella is scheduled to take office.
Petro used a July 6 post on X to call for gatherings on July 20, describing the day as a “general mobilisation” for independence and continued social reforms, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. The same date marks the start of a new Congress, which is expected to confront an early dispute over where the next president should be sworn in.
De la Espriella has asked to move the August 7 inauguration from Congress in Bogota to a military base in southern Colombia, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. He said the change would honor “the heroes of the homeland” and service members who, in his words, defend democracy, freedom and institutional stability.
Petro rejected that plan in a July 12 order, saying that no military site should host the ceremony, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. In a post on X, he wrote that military and police bases remain under his authority until the next president takes the oath and said transfer rules require the ceremony to take place before a full session of Congress.
Election claims deepen the standoff
The handover dispute follows a narrow election in which de la Espriella won by less than one percentage point, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. Petro has repeatedly alleged fraud and foreign interference, including a claim that foreigners violated Colombia’s sovereignty by usurping voters’ right to choose freely.
After the vote, Petro accused Israel of interfering in the election, alleging that outside actors accessed the website of Colombia’s National Registry to alter polling data, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. Petro said, without presenting evidence, that Israel was the only state capable of carrying out such an operation.
Colombia’s Inspector General Gregorio Eljach rejected Petro’s allegations, and international observers said they found no evidence of fraud, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. Petro has said there will be a peaceful transfer of power, but he also said Tuesday that he will not attend de la Espriella’s inauguration.
De la Espriella, a right-wing lawyer supported by US President Donald Trump and known as a vocal backer of Israel, has accused Petro of trying to block him from taking office, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. He made that accusation without providing evidence, describing Petro’s conduct as a planned “coup.”
Israel policy adds another flashpoint
Foreign policy has sharpened the confrontation between the outgoing and incoming leaders. De la Espriella has pledged to restore Colombia’s diplomatic relationship with Israel, which Petro severed in 2024 over Israel’s war on Gaza, Al Jazeera and AFP reported.
On Thursday, de la Espriella announced plans to open a Colombian embassy in Jerusalem and end Colombia’s support for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. Petro responded by calling his successor an “accomplice to genocide.”
De la Espriella has also condemned Petro’s calls for civil disobedience, calling them “urban terrorism” and warning that there would be “no leniency” for people who try to challenge Colombia’s constitutional order, Al Jazeera and AFP reported.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.