Colombian universities warn democracy at risk after Petro doubts election results

A coalition of Colombian universities, including Universidad de los Andes, EAFIT, Externado, Rosario, Tecnológica de Bolívar, Icesi, La Sabana, Javeriana, Uniminuto, Libre, CESA and UNAB, issued a joint statement urging respect for the constitutional order and the presidential election outcome that elected Abelardo de la Espriella. The statement warned that President Gustavo Petro’s public doubts about the legitimacy of the vote, made without presenting conclusive evidence, threaten democratic stability and could set a dangerous precedent.

The universities stressed that any contestation of the results must follow the legal mechanisms established by the Constitution, quoting: “the respect for the rules of the electoral contest does not admit exceptions, whichever the result.” They cautioned that ignoring these rules undermines peaceful alternation of power and could erode public confidence in democratic institutions. Petro later affirmed he would transfer power on August 7, but maintained his call for clarification of alleged irregularities, keeping the controversy alive.