Colombian president Gustavo Petro says he will skip the Aug. 7 transfer of power and file new legal challenges alleging electoral fraud.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday that he will not attend the Aug. 7 inauguration of President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, saying he does not recognize the legitimacy of the electoral process that declared his successor the winner.
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Speaking during a cabinet meeting, Petro said he would neither attend the official inauguration ceremony nor shake hands with De la Espriella, reiterating his claim that the election was fraudulent.
“I cannot accept a president, and that is why I will not be anywhere on August 7, nor shake his hand. Let him say whatever he wants, but he knows why. Because that is a fraud.”
#EnDesarrollo El presidente Gustavo Petro reiteró su posición de no aceptar a Abelardo de la Espriella como mandatario electo. “Por eso no voy a estar el 7 de agosto en ninguna parte ni a darle la mano allá, pero él sabe por qué, porque eso es un fraude”, dijo durante el consejo… pic.twitter.com/XPsplG0zoS
— BluRadio Colombia (@BluRadioCo) July 15, 2026
Text Reads: President Gustavo Petro reiterated his position of not accepting Abelardo de la Espriella as the elected president. “That’s why I won’t be anywhere on August 7th nor will I shake his hand there, but he knows why, because that’s a fraud,” he said during the cabinet meeting this Tuesday.
If carried out, Petro’s decision would mark an unprecedented event in Colombia’s history, as no sitting president has previously announced that they would not attend the inauguration of an elected successor.
Petro also said he will file new legal actions on Thursday challenging the election, including criminal complaints and petitions seeking to annul the results.
According to the president, the filings will be supported by evidence that he says is already in his possession. He linked the complaints to what he described as irregularities in the counting of votes cast abroad.
Petro said the official tally sheets for approximately 848,000 overseas ballots were not delivered. He also connected the issue to what he called an “additional voter registry,” an allegation he has previously raised publicly but had not formally pursued through judicial action.
President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella has not issued a direct response to Petro’s latest statements.
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