US and Latin American states urge Colombia to ensure orderly transfer of power

Background of the conflict

President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, who is considered a right-wing hardliner and is supported by US President Donald Trump according to sources close to the signatories, had in turn suspended the formal transition process after the Petro government challenged the election result. In the runoff, the Trump-backed candidate received about 49.6 percent of the vote, while the left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda received around 48.7 percent.

The joint appeal states verbatim in German translation: "Wir richten einen nachdrücklichen Appell an alle kolumbianischen Behörden, in strikter Übereinstimmung mit der Verfassung, dem Gesetz und den demokratischen Grundsätzen zu handeln." The signatories also called for rejecting attempts to delegitimize or obstruct the officially announced election result or the transition process.

Petro did announce in the meantime that he intended to hand over power on 6 August, but continued to refuse to recognize his successor's election victory. A renewed candidacy by Petro was in any case out of the question according to the available information, since the Colombian constitution prohibits the re-election of the president.

Appeal to the Colombian authorities

The declaration also emphasizes the constitutional nature of the process. The change of government is not a political concession but a constitutional and institutional duty, the letter states. In doing so, the signatories directly link recognition of the result to the principles of the rule of law.

At the same time, developments in Colombia fit into a broader context: a ZDFheute live broadcast from 22 June 2026 places the political shift to the right in Colombia and other Latin American states, as well as the rapprochement with the government of US President Donald Trump, in context. Several of the signatory states are described in the report as politically close to Trump.

Regional context

The joint declaration is therefore also a signal of solidarity among right-wing governments in the region. They are positioning themselves united behind President-elect de la Espriella and are simultaneously increasing the pressure on Petro not to continue blocking the institutional transition.

The accusation that this amounted to an attempted coup had previously come from the president-elect's camp. Abelardo de la Espriella had accused the Petro government of an attempted coup. Petro himself spoke of alleged electoral fraud, without the available facts supporting this so far.

The signatories emphasize that any challenge to the election result can only be made on the basis of verifiable evidence and within the procedures provided for that purpose. Blanket doubts about the integrity of the election without sufficient evidence are incompatible with the democratic principles of a constitutional state.