Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused Israel and the United States of interfering in the country's presidential election. Speaking on Independence Day, Petro announced he would soon present evidence that the vote count had been manipulated using software provided by Israel.
The leftist leader, who repeated these allegations previously denied by Colombian election authorities, condemned foreign interference in the electoral process. In the same speech, he called on his supporters to protect the social and economic reforms his government implemented.
Reforms and strike warning
Petro instructed his supporters to mobilize "millions" and stage strikes if the new administration makes changes to labor laws. The reforms enacted under his government raised overtime pay and made it harder for companies to hire workers on short-term contracts.
Broken ties with Israel
The Petro administration cut ties with Israel on May 3, 2024, citing genocide in Gaza. It then completely banned coal exports to Israel on August 31, 2025.
New president's Israel promises
President-elect Abelardo De La Espriella, a conservative lawyer, will be sworn in on August 7. De La Espriella, who holds dual Colombian-American citizenship and is nicknamed "The Tiger," has promised to slash government spending by up to 40% and draft new labor laws allowing businesses to pay workers by the hour.
On foreign policy, he vowed to elevate ties with Israel to an "unprecedented" level. Before the election, he had announced plans to move Colombia's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and become a staunch ally of Israel.
