Petro asked Trump to refrain from interfering in Colombia's June 21 presidential runoff between far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella and ruling-party candidate Iván Cepeda.
10:10 PM
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called on U.S. President Donald Trump Wednesday not to intervene in the country's presidential runoff campaign, after Trump said Washington would support Colombia if far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella wins the second round.
"I request you, as president of Colombia, not to intervene in the campaign that the Colombian people decide freely and not you," Petro said in a message posted on social media shortly after Trump's statement.
The runoff is scheduled for June 21, with de la Espriella facing ruling-party candidate Iván Cepeda.
Petro emphasized that foreign money attempting to modify Colombian public opinion through artificial intelligence campaigns or by "transforming lies into truth" constitutes a crime under Colombian law. He stated that financing electoral campaigns with foreign funds is prohibited, noting this has unfortunately become a tradition in Colombia linked to drug trafficking and corruption.
Trump had asserted that Colombia would have Washington's "force" behind it should de la Espriella prevail in the second electoral round.
Petro's rebuke came as the two nations' leaders exchanged positions on the upcoming vote, with the Colombian president asserting his country's sovereign right to conduct elections free from external pressure or financial influence.
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