Colombia's president-elect, Abelardo de la Espirella, a conservative businessman endorsed by former President Donald Trump, abruptly suspended the transition process on Tuesday, leveling explosive accusations that outgoing President Gustavo Petro is orchestrating a coup to cling to power.
De la Espirella, who narrowly defeated Petro-backed candidate Senator Iván Cepeda in June's runoff by a single percentage point, claimed in a video statement that Petro and Cepeda had devised a plan to "cling to power at all costs" by refusing to recognize his victory and launching a coup. He called on Colombia's armed forces to "honor their oath to protect the Constitution and democracy" and to disobey any orders from Petro that would undermine the transition.
Petro, who initially refused to acknowledge de la Espirella's win and alleged fraud without providing evidence, has faced criticism from Trump in the past but later earned a "terrific" label from the former president after a lengthy meeting earlier this year. The Carter Center, which deployed an 11-member election observation team to Bogotá, found Colombia's results management system to be "reliable, transparent, and ensures full traceability of results."
Finance Minister Germán Ávila, tasked with coordinating the handover, responded to the suspension by stating that Petro's administration "had nothing to hide" amid allegations from de la Espirella's transition team. Ávila also suspended the handover process in light of the president-elect's move.
De la Espirella, a political outsider who holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship, built his fortune as head of a criminal law firm and through various business ventures. Known as "The Tiger," he campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform, vowing to crack down on drug trafficking—a stance that earned him Trump's endorsement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated him on X, saying the Trump administration looks forward to working with his incoming administration on regional security, immigration, and economic ties.
Cepeda, an ally of Petro's, had pledged to continue the outgoing president's agenda, including peace talks with armed groups that de la Espirella has promised to halt. Preliminary results showed de la Espirella winning by nearly 250,000 votes, but Cepeda called the count "unofficial and non-binding" and said his team would challenge results from tens of thousands of voting stations.
The crisis comes as Trump continues to assert influence in Latin America, with recent moves such as his revived push for Greenland and escalating history wars at home, including a White House report slamming the Smithsonian for "extreme political activism." De la Espirella's allegations, made without evidence, threaten to further strain Colombia's democratic institutions and regional stability.
