While Petro Thinks About His Re-election, His Removal is Brewing.

Since taking office, Gustavo Petro has exhibited behavior reminiscent of the early days of the Chavista regime in Venezuela. His administration is characterized by a series of measures and attitudes that seem aimed at entrenching his power, despite Colombia’s constitutional restrictions.

Gustavo Petro became the president of Colombia in 2022, promising a «government of change and social justice.» However, as he approaches the midpoint of his term, he has faced critical failures affecting the people of Colombia, largely due to his political tendencies and his close relationship with and support for Nicolás Maduro, who has been criticized for authoritarianism and human rights violations in Venezuela.

From the start, Petro has shown ideological alignment with Maduro, defending his hold on power even after an evident electoral fraud in Venezuela, where the National Electoral Council (CNE), controlled by Chavismo, manipulated the results to ensure Maduro’s re-election. While the international community denounces the irregularities, Petro has avoided strong criticism and opted for a stance of «convenient caution,» which some analysts interpret as a strategy to consolidate his own power in Colombia.

One of the most concerning similarities between Petro and Maduro is the intention to remain in power. Despite the Colombian Constitution prohibiting presidential re-election, Petro’s closest allies, such as Senator Isabel Zuleta, have begun a campaign to promote a covert re-election. This tactic is reminiscent of those used by Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, who also amended the Constitution to allow indefinite re-election, laying the groundwork for Maduro’s authoritarianism.

Although Petro has not openly declared his intentions to seek re-election, he has allowed his allies to promote this agenda, suggesting a strategy to gauge public reaction before formalizing any attempt at constitutional change. Additionally, the call for a Constituent Assembly—a proposal Petro denied during his campaign—now seems like a real possibility to advance the consolidation of his power. He fears a coup and has sounded the alarm on his X account:

Se han organizado para dar el golpe de estado. Lo anunciado se desarrolla.

Del pueblo que me eligió dependerá que el designio oligárquico se vuelva realidad o los derrotermos de nuevo. Esta no será una votación parlamentaria de nuestros enemigos para sacarnos. Esto será una…

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) September 1, 2024

Investigation Into Campaign Spending: A Roadblock for Petro.

This Sunday, a serious concern arose in the Casa de Nariño following the revelation of a document that could suggest that Gustavo Petro’s campaign exceeded the spending limits established for the first round of the presidential elections. According to the Constitution, such an infraction could be grounds for the president’s removal, setting off alarms within his administration.

Although the process to achieve a removal is not simple, the fact that Petro has warned of this possibility suggests that the threat is real and that he is preparing his followers to face it.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) had already begun an investigation into alleged irregularities in the financing and reports of income and expenses submitted by the Historical Pact campaign, both in the inter-party consultation and in the first and second rounds of elections.

However, this time, journalist Daniel Coronell revealed in his Sunday column in Cambio magazine an invoice showing a payment for advertising to Caracol Televisión, registered with the National Directorate of Taxes and Customs (DIAN) for an amount of 356,102,872 Colombian pesos. This invoice, dated May 31, 2022, is in the name of Ricardo Roa, who at the time was Petro’s campaign manager and is currently the president of Ecopetrol.

The problem lies in that the maximum allowed spending for the first round was 28.536 billion pesos, and Petro’s campaign reported spending 28.384 billion, leaving only 152 million under the legal limit. However, the recently revealed invoice of 356 million does not appear in the reports, implying that if added, the campaign would have exceeded the permitted limit.

The campaign’s defense has argued that these expenses might be included in other categories, but this explanation has yet to be proven. Petro’s concern is that this investigation could advance to the point of threatening his tenure as president.

This case highlights the fragility of the political situation in Colombia and the potential consequences of financial irregularities in a presidential campaign. The question now is: Will Gustavo Petro be able to escape this accusation and achieve the re-election his allies are promoting?

Panam Post reports on Petro’s possible removal:

The Procedure

Could Petro face removal? Regarding the ongoing investigations, the CNE resumed this week the study of the report that calls for charges to be filed for alleged irregular campaign financing, though no decision has been made yet. In two weeks, the Plenary Chamber will again take up the discussion of this report.

For his part, Gustavo Petro seems to suspect that the opposition is organizing to secure the necessary votes in Congress to proceed with an impeachment process against him and his eventual removal, as he expressed in his message on the mentioned social network. In this case, it is important to note that, according to the Constitution, after the accusation is filed with the Accusations Commission, the board of directors proposes a panel responsible for deciding whether there are grounds to proceed with the process or not. If affirmative, the debate will focus on deliberation within this body to decide whether to elevate the accusation to the plenary of the House or to file it. Subsequently, the House will vote by majority to decide whether the case moves to the Senate, where by an absolute majority it will be determined whether President Gustavo Petro faces suspension or removal from office, also sending copies to the Supreme Court of Justice for the corresponding judicial investigation.

Responses to his concern about a coup:

NO ONE will carry out a coup against you, President @petrogustavo.

With your disastrous government, you have removed the chances of leaving a successor.

The majority of the country does not want you, be clear that you only have a 29% approval rating.

On August 7, 2026, you will have to leave defeated.

He is using the same narrative as Chavismo.

It’s concerning to see how a president, instead of facing things with actions, feels comfortable inciting violence. Petro, the same one who seems to seek support from violent groups and those questioned governments like those of Cuba and Venezuela, keeps adding fuel to the fire. But here…

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