Petro fears ‘civil war’ in Colombia after alleged electoral fraud
The outgoing leftist president said June's runoff election involved 'algorithmic, systemic electoral fraud affecting an enormous number of votes'.
Colombia's outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, has expressed concerns over the potential for "civil war" following his defeat in the recent presidential election. Petro has alleged evidence of electoral fraud in the runoff vote, claiming it was a coordinated effort from abroad targeting his ally, Ivan Cepeda. The victor of the election, Abelardo de la Espriella, is set to be inaugurated on Friday, a decision that contravenes the norm of holding the ceremony in Colombia's capital, Bogota, first.
Petro argues that the inauguration of De la Espriella represents an "illegitimate president" and an "undeniably profound institutional problem". He suggested that De la Espriella may seek to extradite him to the United States on fabricated charges, adding that he expects a civil war in Colombia due to public opposition to these plans.
De la Espriella, who has no political background, has pledged to attract private investment, reduce the state's size by 40%, and adopt a tough stance against guerrillas and drug cartels, following a decade marked by escalating violence in the country.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Evidence of computer fraud in Colombia’s elections colombiareports.com
- Colombia’s Petro repeats vote fraud claims days before handing over power aljazeera.com
