Monday, July 6th 2026 - 20:14 UTC
Petro claimed that algorithms were run from a server with an IP address in Los Angeles to alter the count in De la Espriella's favor
Colombia's outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, reiterated on Sunday that he does not recognize the legitimacy of the incoming government of Abelardo de la Espriella, insisting that the June 21 presidential runoff was marked by fraud — an accusation he has not backed with public evidence and which is contradicted by international observers and the official vote count itself.
In a lengthy message on the social media platform X, Petro said that, for him, the president-elect is not De la Espriella but left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, the candidate of his coalition, the Historic Pact. De la Espriella won the runoff with 49.66% of the vote (12,959,515) against Cepeda's 48.70% (12,708,695), a margin of less than one percentage point, according to official figures from the National Registry.
The result was confirmed by the National Electoral Council on June 24. That same day, Cepeda had conceded defeat and Petro, while still questioning the process, agreed to begin the handover with the incoming team — a process that continues ahead of the transfer of power set for August 7. The president's latest stance sharpens that challenge without, so far, having halted the transition.
