Mexican President Sheinbaum Expresses Solidarity With Petro for Unfair Investigation
Colombian President Claudia Sheinbaum, Oct. 9, 2024. X/ @MoisesAlvaro_
October 9, 2024 Hour: 12:06 pm
Gustavo Petro denounced that the investigation into electoral expenses seeks to pave the way to a soft coup d’état.
On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her solidarity with Colombian President Gustavo Petro regarding the injustice of the National Electoral Council (CNE) opening an investigation and filing charges against his 2022 presidential campaign for alleged irregular expenses.
RELATED:
Colombian President Calls for Democracy to Be Defended in the Face of a Coup
“I want to publicly express our solidarity with President Petro. Two years after the elections, the CNE opened an investigation into campaign expenses. He called this action a coup,” she said at the start of her morning press conference.
Previously, the Colombian electoral authorities considered that Petro, his campaign manager Ricardo Roa, and other members of his team should be held accountable for the alleged violation of campaign financing rules, as the CNE suspects they exceeded spending limits and resorted to prohibited sources.
The Mexican progressive leader supported President Petro’s argument that the CNE investigation process was opened outside of Colombian constitution and law.
“So, our solidarity with President Petro. He is practically the only progressive president Colombia has had. We always stand by our support and solidarity. Our policy is to speak out whenever there is an injustice,” the Mexican president said.
On Wednesday, Petro claimed that CNE President Cesar Lorduy set a trap for him to be removed from office using false evidence. While the CNE does not have the authority to decide whether or not the Colombian president should leave office, that institution “opened the door by formulating charges in an unconstitutional manner. It is a prevarication that seeks to unleash a parliamentary coup,” Petro stated.
Approved with seven votes in favor and two against, the resolution of the Colombian CNE marks the first time an electoral tribunal in this South American country has formally opened an investigation into a presidential campaign for exceeding spending limits.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
