Colombia's Petro calls suspension bid 'extortion' as party ally seeks to bar him from office until runoff

The suspension proposal

Gloria Arizabaleta, president of the Colombian lower house's Commission of Investigation and Accusation and a member of Petro's Pacto Histórico coalition, issued a seven-page order on Wednesday proposing the provisional suspension of President Gustavo Petro until 4:00 p.m. local time on June 21, when polls close for the second round of the presidential election. Arizabaleta cited at least 22 social media posts by Petro between June 6 and June 9 that she said directly referenced the candidates, their campaigns, and the runoff between leftist Iván Cepeda and right-wing lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella.

You have to read and observe the 22 messages the president wrote on his social media where, allegedly, he intervenes in politics.

The commission has received roughly 290 complaints against Petro since he took office in 2022, about 60 of them for alleged participation in politics during electoral campaigns. Arizabaleta argued that the suspension was warranted because the conduct could continue and be repeated, given that the runoff is only 11 days away.

Legal pushback from all sides

Within hours, officials across the political spectrum declared the order unconstitutional. Interior Minister Armando Benedetti stated that only the full Senate can suspend a president, and only after the plenary of the House of Representatives acts as an accuser. The Colombian constitution's Article 194 specifies that a president is removed only by death, accepted resignation, judicial dismissal, or permanent physical incapacity.

In law, the Commission of Accusations cannot suspend the president because it is an investigative commission. Only the Senate can do so after the plenary of the House acts as an accusing body, criminally or disciplinarily.

Roy Barreras, former Senate president, former presidential candidate, and Arizabaleta's ex-husband, also said the decision had no legal validity. Commission member Miguel Silvera Padilla released a video clarifying that Petro had not been suspended and remained in office. Fellow Pacto Histórico representative Alejandro Ocampo called the order false information that had not even been formally filed or discussed.

Petro responds from New York

Speaking at a press conference during a UN Security Council meeting in New York, Petro rejected the suspension bid and suggested it was tied to an extortion attempt. He claimed Arizabaleta had made requests he refused to fulfill, despite her belonging to his party.

I want my ministers to confess before the Supreme Court exactly what requests she was making. And for a process to be developed to convince Congress that we were under extortion. I do not accept that because it contradicts my own principles.

Petro noted that Arizabaleta's lawyer is Hollman Ibañez, a former partner of De La Espriella, and described the candidate as a member of his most radical opposition. De La Espriella, for his part, rejected the suspension order as a maneuver by Petro's camp, calling it a monumental act of judicial misconduct and a legislative self-attack designed to let Petro campaign while playing the victim.

The electoral backdrop

De La Espriella won the first round on May 31 with 10.3 million votes (43.74%), while Cepeda secured 9.7 million votes (40.90%). Cepeda has accused De La Espriella's campaign of financial irregularities and vote-buying in the first round, and has asked human rights lawyer Miguel Ángel del Río to gather information and file legal actions. Cepeda has also denounced what he called a dirty campaign using digital structures and artificial intelligence tools against his candidacy. Petro is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term; his four-year presidency ends in August.