Gustavo Petro urges Trump not to interfere in Colombian election campaign

Bogota - Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday asked United States President Donald Trump not to interfere in his country’s presidential election campaign, just days before voting takes place. Petro was responding to Trump’s endorsement of right-wing Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, a dual Colombian-US national. De la Espriella will face Ivan Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition in the election scheduled for 21 June. In a post on X, Petro stated that Colombian law prohibits foreign interference in elections and warned of attempts to influence public opinion through foreign funding or disinformation campaigns. “I want to tell President Donald Trump that the Colombian Constitution forbids foreign endorsements and funds from abroad,” Petro wrote, adding that any attempt to influence voters’ choices using foreign resources is illegal. He urged Trump not to meddle in his country’s campaign. “As president of Colombia, I ask you not to interfere in a campaign that will be decided freely by the Colombian people, not by others. Whoever wins will continue to maintain the friendly relations that have existed for more than two centuries between Colombia and the United States,” said Petro.