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Without waiting for the official end of his term on August 7, 2026, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced that he will step down on July 20. He said he intends to mark his departure with a speech and «demonstrations» by his supporters against the election of far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, and added that he will boycott his successor's inauguration ceremony.
The decision is expected to prevent the Polisario from attending the swearing-in of Colombia's new president, unlike the inaugurations of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador in June 2019 and Daniel Noboa in Ecuador in November 2023, where the Front was represented by Brahim Ghali and Khatri Adouh. Their presence at those ceremonies did not prevent either country from later severing ties with the Polisario.
De la Espriella responded to the congratulatory message sent by King Mohammed VI the day after his victory in the second round of the presidential election on June 21.
«The congratulations extended by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to Abelardo de la Espriella represent one of the highest-level international messages received following the presidential election and reflect the Kingdom of Morocco's desire to give fresh momentum to its relations with Colombia», he said in a statement posted on X.
Petro restored Colombia's recognition of the «Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)» on August 11, 2022, just four days after taking office as president.
