Colombia's outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, has maintained that last month's presidential election was manipulated, dismissing the victory of his successor as the result of a large-scale algorithmic fraud that altered thousands of tally sheets after counts were transmitted to the national election agency. Election officials declared in late June that Abelardo de la Espriella had defeated Petro's ally Iván Cepeda by 250,000 votes, a result upheld by the European Union's observer mission and domestic electoral authorities.
De la Espriella, a right-wing candidate backed by US President Donald Trump during the campaign, is due to be sworn in before Congress on Friday in the western city of Cali, breaking with the traditional Bogotá ceremony. Petro warned of a potential civil war and claimed his successor plans to extradite him to the United States, where prosecutors have opened an inquiry into potential links between the departing leader and drug traffickers.
Defeated candidate Cepeda said he would not recognize the new administration until specific demands are met, while Petro urged rural supporters to form committees he described as 'liberation guards' as fears of political instability mount.