The Popular Parliamentary Group of the Congress of Deputies recorded a battery of questions addressed to the Government to demand explanations on the role of the former president José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero during a political event in Bogotá, Colombia, in front of representatives of the Forehead … Widea coalition of progressive forces that seeks to consolidate left-wing candidacies ahead of the 2026 elections. The document, to which ABC had access, questions Zapatero’s participationas well as the involvement of the Spanish embassy and the executive itself in an event which, according to popular belief, could constitute interference in the internal affairs of another country.
The writing is based on article 185 of the regulations of the Congress and demands written responses about the events that occurred on December 2, 2025 in Bogota, when an event was held under the motto “To stop the advance of the right, we must unite progressive forces within the Frente Amplio’, where the presence of Zapatero stood out, responsible for delivering the opening speech, with the aim of promoting a common electoral platform to support a single left-wing candidacy in the legislative and presidential elections in Colombia next year.
The document highlights that on the night of December 2, the Spanish ambassador to Colombia, Santiago Jiménez Martin – career diplomat, who was chief of staff to Pablo Iglesias – hosted a dinner at his official residence in the presence of the Colombian president, Gustavo Petroformer President Zapatero and eight of the main political leaders who participated in the Frente Amplio meeting. The letter emphasizes that the fact that the ambassador participated and organized this event raises questions about the diplomatic neutrality that, they claim, Spain should maintain in electoral processes in other countries. The sources consulted by this newspaper also do not neglect the fact that Zapatero used an official site to hold a political meeting.
Questions to the government
The PP recalls that the principle of non-interference in internal affairs is one of the fundamental pillars of peaceful coexistence between nations and is enshrined in the United Nations CharterThus, any intervention in foreign electoral processes, they assert, could “break the necessary neutrality with which countries must face the electoral processes of third countries and negatively affect bilateral relations”.
Based on these events, the deputies ask a series of concrete questions to the Government in this letter recorded two days ago, on December 16. On the one hand, they want to know whether Zapatero acted in a personal capacity or at the suggestion of the executive powerand whether he acted on his own initiative, whether the Government was informed of his participation in the meeting and what measures it adopted to dissuade him if it considered that this could have negative effects. They also wonder why the Spanish ambassador participated in the organization of the dinner with the main promoters of the Frente Amplio initiative; whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs authorized the said meeting to be held at the embassy and how the government intends to counteract Spain’s alleged distancing from political candidates who are not linked to the preference declared by the Frente Amplio.
The government must indicate whether Zapatero acted in a personal capacity or at the suggestion of the executive branch.
The government has one month term to answer these questions in writing, even if during this last legislature they only responded very few times. Furthermore, when they did, the sentences came out so flat that they almost generated more questions. Even if this is considered “a useless exercise, we must continue to do it,” say the same sources.
What happened in Bogota
The events to which the PP refers date back to Zapatero’s participation in a meeting of progressive leaders and presidential candidates of the Frente Amplio, held in Bogotá on December 2. According to Infobae, the former president was invited to deliver the opening speech at an event on the consolidation of a left-wing alliance in Colombia, made up of progressive parties and movements in view of the legislative and presidential elections of 2026.
During the meeting, Zapatero stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between progressive forces in Colombia and other countries in the region. After the event, he attended a private dinner at the Spanish Embassy in Bogotá, organized by the diplomatic representation, attended by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, as confirmed by various local media, including La FM and EFE.
The dinner, organized at the Spanish diplomatic headquarters, also brought together the candidates Juan Fernando Cristo, Clara López and María José Pizarroas well as former senator Roy Barrerasto the former Colombian president Ernesto Samper and other Frente Amplio leaders. At this meeting, issues related to the convergence of progressive forces and the possibility of holding an inter-party consultation to define a single candidacy for next year’s elections were discussed.
The absence of the senator and the pre-candidate Ivan Cépeda was striking, according to several Colombian media, who also wondered if Petro’s presence at this type of meeting could fit with the hypotheses of political intervention provided for by Colombian regulations. Other participants, however, maintained that it was an informal meeting, focused on dialogue and the exchange of impressions.
The Bogota event is part of a broader political dynamic in Colombia, where left-wing sectors are working to articulate a common strategy for the 2026 elections, planned March 8 In the case of the legislative and May 31 for the presidential elections, with a possible second round in June.
The Large Front is a political initiative promoted in Colombia to bring together parties, movements and leaders of the progressive sphere with the aim of participating in a coordinated manner in the legislative and presidential elections of 2026. The project aims to serve as a meeting space between different left and center-left sensibilities, in an era marked by the fragmentation of the progressive bloc and the proliferation of pre-candidates. The platform does not function as a political party, but as a forum for political coordination in which leaders with institutional experience, former ministers, former parliamentarians and current civil servants participate. Among the issues discussed during their meetings are the possibility of articulating internal consultation mechanisms to choose a single presidential candidate, as well as the development of a common roadmap for the congressional elections. The Frente Amplio has held several meetings in Bogotá in recent months, with ongoing debates over the scope of the alliance and its final composition. The initiative is developing in a political context where the Colombian left seeks to consolidate a broad and orderly alternative for the 2026 electoral calendar.
Political repercussions and tensions
The PP’s demands for explanations add to a context in which international relations and diplomacy are being put to the test. subject to parliamentary controlgiven the movements that the Moncloa Palace has long been detected outside of Foreign Affairs and which always lead to Zapatero, who served as mediator on behalf of the government of Pedro Sánchez in other Latin American countries, mainly in Venezuela but also in Panama and in Dominican Republic.
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