Colombia’s Petro promises ‘peaceful transition’ to right-winger

BRASILIA: Colombia’s outgoing President Gustavo Petro on Thursday promised a “peaceful transition” to his elected successor Abelardo de la Espriella after calling for protests before the right-winger takes power.

Petro, a combative leftist who was barred constitutionally from seeking a second term, claims that De la Espriella’s victory last month was the result of election fraud, without providing proof.

He has called for protests on July 20, ahead of De la Espriella’s Aug 7 inauguration.

The tough-talking president-elect has accused Petro of “coup” plotting and has broken off cooperation with the outgoing government on the transition of power.

In a telephone conversation Thursday with fellow left-winger President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Petro toned down his rhetoric.

He confirmed that he would remain in office until Aug 6, as planned, and “reaffirmed his commitment to democracy and a peaceful transition in the country”, the Brazilian government said.

De la Espriella, a millionaire lawyer, squeaked past left-wing senator Ivan Cepeda, a Petro ally, in the June 21 presidential run-off, with vocal support from US President Donald Trump.

Petro refused to recognise the results of the election, despite international observers and electoral authorities giving the vote a clean bill of health.

Petro is Colombia’s first left-wing president.

His call for major protests has sown fears of a repeat of the violent anti-government demonstrations seen under Petro’s right-wing predecessor Ivan Duque, which left dozens dead between 2019 and 2021.