Petro returns Bolivar's sword, questions Colombia's incoming leadership
Colombian President Gustavo Petro returned Simon Bolivar's sword to Bogota's Quinta de Bolivar museum on Friday, using the ceremony to question the legitimacy of president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella and warn that the region was losing its sovereignty.
Speaking at the event, Petro said the countries liberated by Bolivar were at risk of falling under foreign influence.
"Bolivar's five republics are in the process of losing their independence and becoming a viceroyalty again. Perhaps Colombia more than Venezuela," he said.
Petro alleged that De la Espriella was aligned with US interests rather than the Colombian electorate.
"Here in Colombia, the presidency of the one who is going to arrive on August 7 [Abelardo de la Espriella] is owed not to the people of Colombia, who voted mostly for another person, but rather he obeys the United States Department of State directly," he said.
De la Espriella narrowly defeated left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda in the 21 June presidential run-off, securing 49.66 per cent of the vote against Cepeda's 48.70 per cent, according to the initial official count. US President Donald Trump publicly endorsed De la Espriella during the campaign.
Petro also criticised plans to hold the 7 August presidential inauguration at a military or police facility in Cauca, insisting such installations would remain under his authority until the end of his term.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
