According to Colombian media ColombiaOne, on June 10 local time, the Investigation and Charges Committee of the Colombian House of Representatives issued a statement announcing that President Petro's duties would be suspended until June 21, which is the day of the second round of presidential elections in Colombia.
The reason for this committee is "to prevent the country's head of state from causing potential interference in the ongoing election process."
The committee claims that based on an analysis of the posts posted by Petro from June 6th to 9th on the X platform, it has determined that he may have violated legal restrictions regarding political interference by incumbent public officials. “This could affect the electoral process and undermine its fairness.”
Currently, political polarization in Colombia is increasing. Reports indicate that this decision has caused significant controversy and may actually have only political significance rather than legal ones. As of now, the Colombian government has not responded to this issue.
Colombia's presidential election was held on May 31. Independent candidate Aveledo de la Espeñeira from the far-right political group "Defenders of the Motherland" and candidate Ivan Peña from the left-wing ruling coalition "Colombia History Convention Alliance" tied for the top two vote-getters and will proceed to the second round of voting.
After the voting results were released on May 31st, Petero posted on social media saying, "The so-called preliminary voting results have no legal effect."
The second round of voting is scheduled for June 21th, and the candidate with the most votes will be elected as president. The new president will take office officially on August 7th.
American Cable News Network (CNN) noted that the runoff on June 21 is expected to determine Colombia's future political direction and the development of its relations with important international partners, including the United States. This will lead to a direct confrontation between two vastly different political visions, making it a highly polarized election battle.
In June 2022, Petro was elected as Colombia's first left-wing president. The president is the head of the state, with a four-year term, and cannot be re-elected.
