Colombia's congressional panel orders provisional suspension of President Petro

Gloria Arizabaleta, president of Colombia's Chamber of Representatives' Investigation and Accusation Commission, ordered Wednesday the provisional suspension of President Gustavo Petro from exercising his office until Sunday, June 21 at 4 p.m., when polls close in the second round of the presidential election.

The suspension order stems from an investigation examining whether Petro engaged in improper participation in politics. According to the accusation, the president allegedly made public statements and manifestations in favor of sectors aligned with his political space during the electoral campaign.

Arizabaleta, who is a member of Pacto Histórico, the same political party as Petro, stated that it is possible to order the provisional suspension of the sitting president. She asserted that the measure can remain in effect until voting concludes on June 21.

When asked by reporters about the allegations, Petro declared that the accusations were not accurate. He denied the claims that he had improperly participated in political activities during the campaign period.

The investigative commission's action comes eleven days before the runoff election scheduled for June 21. The suspension is set to expire once voting ends that day at 4 p.m. local time.