Colombian businesspeople criticize Petro for questioning the election

In a statement released on Sunday night (31), Andi expressed “its concern about the constant questioning of the national government and the systematic attacks by the President of the Republic on the Colombian electoral system and the institutions responsible for guaranteeing the transparency and legitimacy of the country’s democratic processes”.

Petro said this Sunday that he did not accept the results of the initial count released by the Colombian electoral body, questioned the IT system used during the process and stated that he will only recognize the results of the scrutiny carried out by judges from the Republic.

With 43.74% of the votes, Espriella was the most voted in the first round, against 40.90% for Cepeda. The two will face each other in the second round, scheduled for June 21st.

Andi stated in the statement that it considers it “necessary to request the support of international organizations specialized not only in observation, but also in guaranteeing and defending democratic processes, in order to help ensure that Colombians can exercise their right to vote in an environment of tranquility, transparency and full institutional trust.”

“The time has come for some time to request the support of international organizations to support us in this defense, especially considering the limitations that may exist to guarantee its effectiveness at the local level”, stated Bruce Mac Master, president of Andi.

According to information from the EFE agency, in a speech in Bogotá to supporters, Cepeda also stated that he will not recognize the results until doubts related to the electoral census and challenges in several voting stations are resolved.

In turn, Espriella, in a speech in Barranquilla, asked the Colombian left to respect the popular will.

“Petro, Cepeda, couple of delinquents, don’t you dare. Don’t forget to ignore the popular will, because here are people who will face them and defeat them”, said the right-winger.