After President Gustavo Pietro Orrego rejected the decision of the National Electoral Council (CNE) on exceeding financing limits in his election campaign – which finally declared him the winner in the second round on June 19, 2022 – presidential candidate María Fernanda Cabal attacked the president.
Through a message she posted on her account
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“It is immediately appropriate to dismiss Gustavo Pietro as required by Article 109 of the Political Constitution.“, begins the congresswoman’s letter.
The brief message left by the pre-candidate, who will seek to be the winner of the Democratic Center’s internal consultation to represent her party in the 2026 presidential elections, concluded that “violation of electoral boundaries has that consequence that was not known in the Indictments Committee.”
Meanwhile, hours before Cabal left his request on social networks, President Petro’s refusal to accept the punishment revived the national debate on election censorship and mutual accusations between the government and the opposition.
The President described the action as a “political act, not a legal one,” and also declared that the NEC’s sanction lacked a legal basis and pointed to inconsistencies in the management of election observation operations.
“I do not acknowledge the moral authority of those who allowed illegal financing in previous campaigns and now accuse me of violating boundaries.”The president said.
As part of his intervention, Petro accused sectors of the opposition of applying “double standards” in controlling the resources used during the electoral competition.
In a second message shared by Cabal on the same Friday morning, he said this again “Petro must be dismissed for violating the limits of the electoral campaign. Article 109 of the Political Constitution,” he pointed out the reasons “to prove this.”
“(1) A blocked donation from Fecode (Colombian Federation of Educational Workers) in the amount of 500 million pesos used directly for election campaign purposes; (2) a loan of 500 million from the Polo Democrático organization that was irregularly omitted from the accounting books; (3) unreported payments of 931 million to election witnesses made outside official channels,” the same post said.
“(4) A $356 million ad issued before the first round and recorded in the second round; (5) improper use of resources from the contract with Ingenial Media, shared between the historic charter’s legislative and presidential campaigns; and (6) a $600 million donation from the USO, which is also a prohibited source.
The decision of the National Electoral Council comes within the framework of an investigation into the amounts used by Gustavo Petro’s campaign in 2022.
The agency found “irregularities in the expenditure report.” Which led to the punishment.
The decision stipulates the imposition of a financial fine on the president and those responsible for his election campaign team. The penalty refers to the alleged failure to comply with regulations setting funding limits for presidential candidates.
In another part of his response, the Head of State reiterated his position on the transparency of his electoral process and asserted that the INEC order was politically motivated.
“I am ready to go to international bodies to protect my rights and the rights of those who participated in my campaign.” said Petro, who stressed the need to review Colombia’s political finance oversight procedures and wondered whether other campaigns with alleged irregularities had not received the same treatment.
In addition to Cabal, opposition party spokespeople supported the CNE’s decision, while government officials rejected the accusations and emphasized the legitimacy of the resources provided to the winning candidacy.
According to Colombian regulations, presidential election campaigns must report a source and use all their resources, without exceeding the limits imposed by law, which is the reason that led to the opening of the investigation and subsequent sanctions.