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 7th.
"They are preparing the destabilization of the country; I am the president of all Colombians, and I will enforce what Colombians decided—with the strength of the Constitution and the law—which was to elect me," stated De la Espriella in a statement shared on his social media.
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.
"These will not consist of marches or mobilizations, but rather peaceful public 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 defeated rival of De la Espriella in the second round on June 21, when the elected president received 12,960,166 votes compared to 12,708,312 for his opponent, 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 complete rejection of the legitimacy of the electoral process by the Colombian left.
De la Espriella was firm 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 aimed at trying 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 stated on July 6 that "Abelardo did not win the elections" and accused fraud, which led De la Espriella to suspend the formal transition process on July 7, accusing the outgoing president of attempting to maintain power and orchestrating a coup.
In that context, De la Espriella also announced on July 27 the break of diplomatic relations with Cuba and Nicaragua, a decision that prompted reactions from the Cuban regime.
The investiture will be held at the USC Arena of the University of Santiago de Cali, following the approval by the Chamber of Representatives on July 28 with 117 votes in favor and only seven against.
De la Espriella emphasized the historical 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 policy of decentralization that will bring the State to the regions."
Approximately 6,000 visitors are expected to arrive in Cali for the ceremony, including heads of state, diplomatic delegations, business leaders, and media from around the world.
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