MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Petro confirms he will skip De la Espriella's inauguration, repeating fraud claim

“I cannot accept a president, and that is why I will not be anywhere on August 7, nor shake his hand; let him say so, but he knows why, because it is a fraud,” Petro said

Colombia's outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, has confirmed he will not attend the August 7 inauguration of his successor, Abelardo de la Espriella, whose victory he continues to reject. The decision breaks with the tradition under which the departing head of state accompanies the president-elect during the oath before Congress.

“I cannot accept a president, and that is why I will not be anywhere on August 7, nor shake his hand; let him say so, but he knows why, because it is a fraud,” Petro said on Tuesday during a televised Cabinet meeting. The president insisted that De la Espriella's win resulted from fraud, an allegation he has maintained without presenting evidence to judicial authorities, and which the National Civil Registry and the National Electoral Council have dismissed by keeping the official results in place.

De la Espriella, who represents the emergence of a right-wing force, defeated left-wing candidate Senator Iván Cepeda in the June 21 runoff by about 0.96% of the vote, roughly 248,000 ballots. Petro has put the alleged irregularities at 848,000 votes, tied to the count of the overseas ballot, and has named the Israeli firm Black Cube and Colombia's Thomas Greg & Sons, contracted by the Registry for the election's technological logistics. None of these claims has been substantiated.

The president clarified that his rejection was not a call to violence. “Are we going to be violent? No,” he said, alluding to his past in the demobilized M-19 guerrilla group, though he added that Colombian voters would have to weigh in later. Despite refusing to recognize the result, he reiterated that he will leave office on the scheduled date.

The announcement is the latest in a series of clashes between the two governments, which have failed to complete the transition process. The president-elect suspended those meetings and called the outgoing government “coup-mongering,” after accusing it, without evidence, of corruption.

Another point of friction is the location of the inauguration. De la Espriella insists on being sworn in at a military garrison in the country's south as a tribute to the armed forces, but the Constitution requires the ceremony to take place before the full Congress. The decision will rest with the incoming legislature, which is installed on July 20 and would need to relocate to the military site. As commander of the armed forces until the handover, Petro has barred the use of any barracks for the ceremony.