Foreign Interference Allegations in Colombian Elections: Petro Refuses to Accept Results

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has raised allegations of 'election fraud' and 'foreign interference' after his candidate Ivan Cepeda lost the presidential election runoff by a narrow margin. Petro accused Israel and the US of meddling in the election. In Colombia, the first round was held on May 31, and in the second round on June 21, opposition candidate Abelardo de la Espriella narrowly defeated Senator Ivan Cepeda of the Historic Pact with 49.66% against 48.7%. According to the preliminary results of the National Electoral Council, the difference was less than 1%. During his campaign, De la Espriella appealed to the Jewish community in Colombia, promising to reverse Petro's decision to cut diplomatic ties with Israel in 2024 and move the Colombian Embassy to Jerusalem. Petro refused to accept the results and demanded an investigation from the judiciary. In his posts on the social media platform X, he claimed that the opposition bought votes and that Israel and the US interfered in the elections.