President Gustavo Petro accused the National Electoral Council (CNE) of orchestrating a scheme to divert 160 billion pesos from the national budget to political campaigns linked to former President Iván Duque. Speaking at a meeting with the Colombian community in Washington, Petro described the move as a divisive ploy that undermines electoral neutrality. He stressed the importance of free elections without tricks.
President Gustavo Petro, speaking to the Colombian community at the Martin Luther King Library in Washington, denounced a recent maneuver by the National Electoral Council (CNE). According to the president, the majority of councilors aim to transfer 160 billion pesos from public funds to campaigns of those seeking to restore Iván Duque's government.
Petro detailed that this 'trick' involves tripling vote replacements and excluding one precandidate, allowing only allies of the former president to participate. "All the tricks that the National Electoral Council pulled in these days are so that 160 billion pesos from the national budget go to the campaigns of those who want to put us back as a Duque government," the president emphasized.
The head of state warned that such political actions by the CNE, instead of serving as a neutral arbiter, have led to violence in the past and aim to divide opponents. "This puts us in a serious situation that, with intelligence, we have to overcome," he stated, explaining how the scheme defends inequity and injustice.
Petro called on Colombians to decide freely, without orchestrated exclusions or divisions to benefit certain groups. "Colombians should decide freely, but not with tricks, as the National Electoral Council is doing," he concluded, criticizing the use of public funds to favor those wishing to return to power under Duque's influence.
