Outgoing Colombian President Accuses Israel of Election Interference

Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro has refused to accept the result of Sunday’s presidential election, in which right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Esparría defeated left-wing contender Ivan Speda. Petro is claiming that Israel was behind a sophisticated breach of the computer systems used to determine the outcome.

According to Petro, servers at the National Registry were hacked and their IP addresses were changed, allowing outside actors to enter fake data for polling stations and voting centers. In a post on X, he wrote that "the only entity in the world capable of doing such a thing is the State of Israel." He said he had warned beforehand about vulnerabilities in the election software, but his request for an audit before the vote was rejected.

Petro has called on the public to remain calm while waiting for expert scrutiny of the software. Meanwhile, Israel has already begun welcoming the expected transfer of power. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar congratulated De la Esparría on his "impressive victory," said he hoped for a renewal of ties between the two countries, and invited the president-elect for an official visit to Israel.

De la Esparría has said he will pursue a tougher line against crime, end peace talks with rebel groups, and strengthen Colombia’s oil and gas sector.