Presidential elections in Colombia 2026: candidate Abelardo de la Espriella spoke out after protests in front of his campaign headquarters in Bogotá

Amidst protests by Iván Cepeda supporters in front of candidate Abelardo de la Espriella’s campaign headquarters in Bogotá, the lawyer told the Vélez por la mañana program that President Petro and the Historical Pact candidate would be trying to generate a new social uprising.
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​”These thugs are vandalizing our headquarters in Teusaquillo and are out of control (…) Petro and Cepeda are preparing a second social uprising to disregard the elections, to set the country on fire and to lead us to a lamentable situation,” he affirmed.

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Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella stated that he has always complied with judicial decisions, but affirmed that he cannot comply with the order to stop wearing the Colombian National Team jersey, as it is his right. 

“No one can take away my right to use the national symbols that make me so proud. This violates a Constitutional Court ruling (…) As if I were a third-class citizen,” he said in an interview with the Vélez por la mañana program, where he called the ruling openly illegal.

For several days there has been talk about the United States’ intention to closely monitor possible electoral fraud in the second round of the presidential elections in the country.

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Protesters arrived at the ‘Defensores de la Patria’ campaign headquarters located in Teusaquillo with banners alluding to candidate Iván Cepeda and chanting slogans.

A court prohibited candidate Abelardo De La Espriella from using the Colombian National Team jersey as part of his electoral campaign, pending a final ruling on the tutela action.

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