Colombia’s lame-duck anti-Israel president claims Israel helped rig election, after pro-Israel right-wing candidate edges out far-left opponent.By World Israel News StaffOutgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused Israel of rigging Colombia’s presidential election after right-wing candidate Abelardo De La Espriella narrowly defeated leftist rival Iván Cepeda in Sunday’s runoff, a result that marks a sharp political shift after four years of left-wing rule.Petro made the accusation in a post on X after De La Espriella, a conservative lawyer and political outsider, claimed victory over Cepeda, a senator backed by Petro’s ruling coalition. The outgoing president demanded a full recount and an audit of the country’s electoral software, alleging that voting systems had been compromised.“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, saying he had requested an audit before the election but that it was not 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 said he would submit the information to judges so they could conduct “the expert audit of the electoral software that has not yet been performed” while votes were still 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,” he said.Petro also urged Colombians to remain calm while the results were reviewed, saying a recount should “truly reflect the will of the people.”“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,” he said.The accusation came after De La Espriella defeated Cepeda by just under one percentage point in a runoff that exposed deep divisions over crime, the economy, relations with the US and the future of Petro’s agenda.De La Espriella, 47, has promised to crack down on armed groups, lower taxes, reduce the size of the state and strengthen relations with the US and Israel. He has accused Petro of leaving Colombia with worsening security and economic problems.Cepeda, 63, ran as the candidate of continuity with Petro’s left-wing program, including social spending, labor reforms, pension payments for the poor and peace talks with armed groups.The election was closely watched across the region because Colombia had elected Petro as its first left-wing president in 2022. Petro is constitutionally barred from seeking another term.Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar congratulated De La Espriella after the vote, saying Israel hoped to rebuild relations with Bogotá following years of tensions with Petro’s government.“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 wrote, adding that he had 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!” he added.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also congratulated De La Espriella and said Washington looked forward to closer cooperation.“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,” Rubio wrote. “Colombia’s best days are ahead.”Petro’s allegation of Israeli involvement followed earlier complaints from his political camp about the National Registry and the electoral software used in the vote. During the first round, Petro and his allies also raised concerns about possible irregularities after De La Espriella outperformed expectations and advanced to the runoff.International observers had previously rejected claims of fraud in the first round. Al Jazeera reported earlier this month that a European election monitoring mission dismissed fraud rumors and described the first round as “a lesson in democracy.”The Organization of American States’ electoral observation mission also praised the first-round vote, saying Colombian authorities had carried out an orderly process, though it called for continued vigilance and transparency.No evidence has been publicly presented showing Israeli involvement in the election.The post Colombian president accuses Israel of rigging election after left-wing candidate defeated appeared first on World Israel News.