Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivered a farewell address on Independence Day, claiming electoral fraud and insisting that Iván Cepeda was the true winner of the June election. Petro, who accused the national electoral registry and the owners of Thomas Greg & Sons of electoral crimes, said he would file a formal complaint backed by what he called 70,000 digital witnesses. He also called for an indefinite general strike if his successor reverses his reforms.
President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, who won by less than 1% of the vote, is scheduled to be inaugurated on August 7. He has accused Petro of plotting a coup to block the transition. Petro will not attend the inauguration but has agreed to lead his Pacto Histórico party in opposition.
De la Espriella plans to restore diplomatic ties with Israel and open an embassy in Jerusalem, reversing Petro's 2024 severance of relations over the Gaza war.