The Colombian left declared itself in resistance this Friday following the end of Gustavo Petro’s four years in power. “We will fight to the limit and beyond to preserve the achievements we have reached in these years,” proclaimed Senator and former presidential candidate Iván Cepeda during a morning event in Barranquilla. “Resistance! Resistance! Resistance!” his supporters responded. Neither he nor the other congress members of the Historic Pact, Gustavo Petro’s party, will attend the inauguration of the far-right Abelardo de la Espriella in Cali in the afternoon. Cepeda reiterated that he does not recognize the legitimacy of the new president, arguing that he has not renounced his U.S. citizenship. “There is an insurmountable incompatibility with the supreme duty to exclusively and loyally represent the sovereignty and interests of the Colombian people,” justified the former presidential candidate regarding a fact that is not illegal.
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The opposition event in Barranquilla, joined by others in Bogotá and Cali, took place amid chants and presentations that point to Cepeda as the legitimate leader of Colombia. “I come to support him because of the fraud they committed against him. The United States has its hands in this,” Julia Correa, a 75-year-old housewife, told this newspaper. Her view and that of other attendees coincide with Petro’s: despite handing over power, the outgoing president has denied De la Espriella’s victory and insisted on an alleged fraud that no other authority, neither state intelligence nor international observers, has detected. Cepeda differs in that he has recognized the results but has not distanced himself from those who on Friday called him the “legitimate president.” He has chosen to focus on his argument against De la Espriella’s dual nationality. “He will be an agent of U.S. interests,” he said, also referring to his alignment with Donald Trump’s government.
The choice of Barranquilla was due to it being the new president’s adopted city, who has announced his intention to formally make it an alternate capital to Bogotá. “We won the elections here. We are not visitors, we are hosts,” Cepeda emphasized during the event, which this newspaper attended by invitation from his press team. He lashed out at the powerful Char family, which has governed the Caribbean city for two decades and supports De la Espriella. “Although [the new government] proclaims decentralization from the regions, it actually seeks to strengthen old mafia powers, like the Char clan,” said Cepeda. “No more Char! No more Char! No more Char!” his supporters responded.
The congressman sought to encourage his base by reminding them that the left comes to the opposition with several advantages. “We are half of the electorate counted at the polls on June 21,” he said, referring to a defeat by just 0.96% of the votes. “We are the main democratic force in the country: we have the largest caucus in Congress,” he recalled regarding the Historic Pact’s 26 of the 103 Senate seats and 42 of the 183 seats in the House of Representatives.
The sector has consolidated its unity around Petro in recent years, in contrast to the divisions that characterized the right in recent years. It will also have the support of a diverse and vigorous social movement that includes indigenous people, unions, and students.
Cautious enthusiasm
The crowd responded with moderate enthusiasm. “I’m not sad because I know there are people still fighting,” Jesús Sánchez, a 19-year-old student who distances himself from Petro in recognizing the election result, told this newspaper. “It’s not a day to suffer or cry, but to feel proud of who we are: a resistance willing to fight to the death to defend its rights,” he added, referring to some achievements of these four years, such as pensions for adults without contributions and wage increases for working Sundays and holidays.
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For Sánchez, son of a garbage recycler, Petro will always be his “president.” “He has never bowed to anyone, not even the United States. He will fight to the death no matter what happens,” he explained. He values Cepeda for being “more peaceful and stable, with thought.” He wants the “civil disobedience” proclaimed by the opposition to reconcile firmness against De la Espriella with openness to dialogue. “Many believe they will oppose everything, when really it is about not agreeing with everything. We must not resort to violence but fight for our rights peacefully.”
Cepeda has added tones of moderation to his resistance speech. “We will not respond to hate with hate, nor to authoritarianism with violence, but with the organized strength of the people. We will mobilize, but if dialogue and national agreement are offered, we will be willing,” he stated. He recalled that they will create a “Cabinet for Life,” a team of leaders who will monitor the policies of each Ministry, similar to the opposition organization in the United Kingdom. “We are the government in construction that will return in a few years to continue the path of social transformations,” he emphasized. The priority in the coming months, as a first step, will be to win as many mayoralties and governorships as possible in the 2027 regional elections.
However, the opposition leadership is still uncertain. Cepeda, a philosopher with a calmer and more conciliatory demeanor than the outgoing president, seemed to position himself at the forefront after his candidacy. But the outgoing president has no intention of retiring from politics. He has said that “the people” define the opposition leadership, and Cepeda himself has asked him to chair the Historic Pact, which he accepted. It has become clear in recent weeks that both leaders will occupy prominent roles. Most likely, they will divide tasks: Cepeda leading a classic opposition in Congress, while the outgoing president turns to the streets, from where he exercised strong resistance against the conservative Iván Duque’s government between 2018 and 2022.
The two leaders have already shown their differences. Petro insists on denouncing alleged fraud, while Cepeda focuses on De la Espriella’s U.S. citizenship and promises to recognize him if he renounces it. Nevertheless, the senator reaffirms his loyalty on every occasion. Although the event presenters introduced him as “the leader of the opposition,” his first statement was to express his “deepest recognition” to the outgoing president.
Meanwhile, Petro said goodbye after leaving the Casa de Nariño in Bogotá. “I hope they remember us. Farewell: Freedom and Life! Always, always, and always,” he exclaimed before receiving military honors as the outgoing president. Then, he added a provocation on X regarding De la Espriella’s decision to swear in Cali and not at the Capitol in Bogotá: “They said I would stay in the Casa de Nariño and close the Congress of the Republic. Now I leave that house, and the one who has closed the Congress of the Republic is someone else.”
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