Colombia's president-elect suspends transition after Petro alleges fraud

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella suspended Tuesday the transition process with the administration of President Gustavo Petro.

Petro refused Monday to recognize de la Espriella’s electoral victory, alleging fraud without providing evidence.

The conservative, Trump-endorsed de la Espriella said on X that the transition process would be suspended “immediately” with what he called the “corrupt” government, whose term is set to end in a month. He accused Petro’s administration of seeking to “destroy Colombia” through its “decisions and conduct.”

The government transition process, known in Colombia as “empalme,” is a formal handover in which the outgoing administration provides the president-elect with the information needed to prepare for governing. But the transition between political rivals Petro and de la Espriella has been marked by mutual accusations.

Germán Ávila, Colombia’s finance minister and the Petro administration’s transition coordinator, ordered his team to suspend the handover process in response. In a televised address, he criticized statements by members of de la Espriella’s transition team, saying that “The transition process is not a criminal investigation; it is not a trial. We have absolutely nothing to hide."

De la Espriella said he would explain his decision to suspend the transition process and outline the steps he plans to take in the coming hours.

The businessman and lawyer, whose ventures include a clothing line, wine and rum brands, and a restaurant, earned U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for office. He was declared the winner of Colombia's June 21 runoff election, in which he defeated progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda by 1 percentage point, or more than 251,000 votes.

The result was effectively an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a largely failed effort to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups.

After the runoff election, a European Union observer mission praised the transparency and efficiency of the vote-counting process. The Carter Center said the results management system was “reliable, transparent and fully traceable.”

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