Colombian congressional committee orders provisional suspension of President Petro, government calls it unconstitutional

The suspension order

Gloria Arizabaleta, president of the Investigation and Accusation Committee of the Colombian House of Representatives, ordered the "provisional suspension" of President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday. The order, contained in a seven-page document signed solely by Arizabaleta, would suspend Petro from his duties until 21 June at 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT), when polls close for the second round of the presidential election. Arizabaleta, a member of Petro's own Pacto Histórico party, is investigating the president for messages posted on his X account between 6 and 9 June, which allegedly constitute participation in electoral politics.

The suspension may be ordered provided there are serious elements of judgment that allow establishing that remaining in office, function or public service enables the interference of the author of the fault in the course of the investigation.

Arizabaleta classified the alleged political intervention as "a very serious fault" and stated that no appeal is possible against her decision. The move is unprecedented in Colombia's recent history and comes just 11 days before the runoff vote.

Government and legal pushback

Interior Minister Armando Benedetti immediately rejected the order, arguing that the Accusations Committee lacks the constitutional authority to suspend a sitting president. He stated that the committee is merely an investigative body and that only the full Senate can suspend a president, and only after the full House has acted as an accuser.

In law, it does not exist that the Accusations Committee can suspend the President because it is an instructional committee. Only the Senate can do so after the plenary of the House acts as an accusing body, criminally or disciplinarily.

Benedetti added that the committee cannot suspend the president, "much less by the will of a single representative." His position was echoed by outgoing independent senator Angélica Lozano, who cited Article 194 of the Constitution, and by former Senate president and ex-presidential candidate Roy Barreras, who called the decision legally invalid.

The investigation's origins

Petro has been denounced multiple times for alleged participation in politics during the campaign to choose his successor. The Accusations Committee formally opened an investigation on 26 May. Under the Colombian Constitution, if the committee's investigation finds grounds to sanction the president, it must bring charges before the Senate, which alone holds the power to suspend him. Jurists consulted by multiple outlets concur that Wednesday's measure lacks legal validity.

Petro's whereabouts

President Petro is currently in New York, where he addressed the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday. He has not yet commented on the committee's decision. The presidential runoff on 21 June will determine his successor amid what El País describes as a deeply polarized campaign.