Outgoing Colombian president claims Israel fixed elections after losing to right-wing candidate

Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro alleged that Israel had manipulated the presidential elections held on Sunday in a post on X, following his defeat by right-wing candidate Abelardo De La Espriella.

"I warned that the Bautista brothers' software was vulnerable, according to the 2018 State Council ruling, and that it should be replaced with publicly available software," Petro wrote on X, adding that he had requested an audit of the software ahead of the elections, but that it had not been allowed.

"Well, today we have evidence of a change in the IP addresses of several servers belonging to the National Registry. This means that the software was compromised, and others entered data for polling stations and voting centers," he said. "The only entity in the world capable of doing that is the State of Israel."

Petro added that he plans to pass the information along to the judges as soon as possible so they can conduct "the expert audit of the electoral software that has not yet been performed" while the votes are being counted.

"I request a recount of all polling stations and a recount of all votes, along with a study of the vulnerabilities in the electoral software and the polling stations that were affected."

Petro urged the public to remain calm so that a recount that "truly reflects the will of the people" can take place, and that "before we succumb to hatred, it is time to seek a national dialogue between the fundamental political currents that divide Colombian society in half, regardless of the actual outcome of the recount."

Who is Abelardo De La Espriella?

De La Espriella, 47, has proposed a tough crackdown on crime, an end to peace talks with armed groups, and a boost to Colombia's oil and gas sector.

Ivan Cepeda Castro, 63, a leftist competitor in the presidential race, vowed to continue Petro's policies, and is a former rebel and the country's first leftist president.

These policies include state pension payments for the poor, union-backed labor reforms, peace talks with armed groups that have fought the state for decades, and a moratorium on new oil projects.

De La Espriella blames Petro for the country's economic and security woes and has vowed to lower taxes and reduce the size of the state by up to 40 percent, but has said he will preserve Petro's 23 percent increase in the minimum wage, along with other popular social measures.

Sa'ar, Rubio congratulate De La Espriella on his win

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar congratulated De La Espriella for his "impressive victory in the Colombian presidential elections" in a Sunday X post.

"We look forward to working with President-elect De la Espriella to revitalize relations between Israel and Colombia and take them to their highest level ever," Sa'ar said, adding that he has already invited the incoming president to visit Israel.

"Much success, Abelardo, and congratulations to the Colombian people, who embark on a new and promising path toward the future!"

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Sa'ar's sentiment in his own X post.

"The Trump Administration looks forward to working closely with your incoming administration to advance regional security cooperation, end illegal immigration to the United States, and strengthen our economic ties," he wrote. "Colombia's best days are ahead."