The elected president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, denounced this Sunday that the call for "civil disobedience" promoted by the leftist opposition and the outgoing president Gustavo Petro constitutes a deliberate attempt to destabilize Colombian democracy, just five days before his inauguration on August 7.
"They are preparing the destabilization of the country, I am the president of all Colombians, and I will uphold with the force of the Constitution and the law what Colombians decided, which was to elect me," De la Espriella stated in a statement shared on his social media, according to the EFE agency.
The senator Iván Cepeda from the Historic Pact—the party of Petro—announced on Saturday gatherings for the inauguration day in three cities: at the Capitol in Bogotá, at the Puerto Resistencia monument in Cali, and in Barranquilla.
"There will not be mobilizations or marches; there will be gatherings," Cepeda clarified from Cartagena de Indias, framing the meetings as part of the actions of "civil disobedience" against the elected president.
Cepeda was the rival defeated by De la Espriella in the second round on June 21, when the elected president received 12,960,166 votes compared to his opponent's 12,708,312, a difference of approximately 250,000 votes.
No member of the Pacto Histórico will attend the joint session of Congress where De la Espriella will take the oath, as a sign of total rejection of the legitimacy of the electoral process by the Colombian left.
De la Espriella was emphatic in rejecting the term used by the opposition: "Let’s call things by their name and confront them for what they are. The so-called 'civil disobedience' is nothing more than a euphemism to attempt to destabilize democracy, and I will not allow it."
The tension between the elected president and the outgoing government has been building for weeks. Petro declared on July 6 that "Abelardo did not win the elections" and accused him of fraud, which led De la Espriella to suspend the formal transition process on July 7, accusing the outgoing president of attempting to cling to power and orchestrating a coup.
In this context, De la Espriella also announced the break of diplomatic relations with Cuba and Nicaragua on July 27, a decision that elicited reactions from the Cuban regime.
The investiture will take place at the USC Arena of the Santiago de Cali University, following the approval of the House of Representatives on July 28 with 117 votes in favor and only seven against.
De la Espriella highlighted the historic nature of the event: "For the first time in our republican history, a president of the Republic will take office outside of Bogotá. This historic event will take place in Santiago de Cali and represents the first step towards a decentralization policy that will bring the State to the regions."
The elected president is expecting the arrival of approximately 6,000 visitors to Cali for the ceremony, including heads of state, diplomatic delegations, business leaders, and media from around the world.
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