MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Tuesday, June 30th 2026 - 22:19 UTC
Colombian Constitution does not prohibit dual nationality for the presidency: it requires being born in the country and being over 30, requirements that De la Espriella, born in Bogotá, meets
Left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, who lost Colombia's presidential runoff, announced on Tuesday that he will resort to “peaceful civil disobedience” against the incoming government of Abelardo de la Espriella if the president-elect does not renounce his US citizenship and clarify a series of questions before taking office on August 7. The Pacto Histórico leader, from the party of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, urged his voters to join the measure, which he described as not recognizing the new president's authority.
“It must be completely clear and defined that De la Espriella renounces US nationality, and he must clarify whether he is a collaborator or member of security agencies” of that country, Cepeda said in a statement. The senator held that US citizenship, acquired through an oath of allegiance, is “incompatible” with the presidency, because “in any conflict between our country's constitutional sovereignty and that of the United States, De la Espriella would have to side with the latter.” In his view, if he takes office without meeting those conditions, his inauguration would be “tainted” as “illegal and illegitimate.”
