BOGOTA, June 11– Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday rejected a new show of support by U.S. President Donald Trump for right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and urged him not to interfere in Colombia’s presidential campaign, days before a runoff vote.
Petro’s remarks came after Trump reiterated earlier in the day in a social platform post his endorsement for De la Espriella, a candidate holding dual citizenship of Colombia and the United States.
He runs against Ivan Cepeda of the governing Historic Pact coalition in the June 21 election. In a post on X, Petro said Colombian law bans foreign interference in elections and warned against attempts to influence public opinion through foreign funding or disinformation campaigns.
“I inform President Donald Trump that Colombia’s Constitution prohibits foreign support and foreign money,” Petro wrote, adding that any attempt to alter voters’ will with resources from abroad is illegal.
“I ask you, as president of Colombia, not to interfere in the campaign that the Colombian people, not you, will freely decide. Whoever wins will maintain the friendship of more than two centuries between Colombia and the United States,” he said. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
