Political situation in Colombia

President-elect: Petro is planning a coup

The transfer of power in Colombia has become a messy affair. President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella accuses incumbent President Gustavo Petro of planning a coup in order to retain power, without presenting any evidence, reports the AP.

This week, Petro accused de la Espriella of electoral fraud in the second round of the presidential election at the end of June. He too has not presented any evidence for his accusations.

Petro, who has not recognized de la Espriella's election victory, is trying to "cling to power at all costs," the new president said in a statement.

- As president-elect, I call on Colombia's armed forces to uphold their oath to defend the constitution and democracy, and not to obey any orders from Petro that contradict this.

Abelardo de la Espriella has urged the outside world to follow the transfer of power closely.

Colombia's power transition put on hold after allegations

The formal process for the transfer of power in Colombia has been paused, announced President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella according to the AP.

According to practice, the outgoing government is supposed to meet with the new one to hand over information before the transfer of power, but this does not seem to be happening anytime soon.

De la Espriella, who won the second round of elections in June, justifies the decision by saying that current President Gustavo Petro has refused to recognize the election victory and has thrown out accusations of election fraud, writes El Tiempo.

Vice President-elect José Manuel Restrepo writes on X that the new government continues to work on the transfer of power. He has met with several of the incoming ministers, among other things.

"The message was clear: the transfer of power will not stop," he writes.