Overview
- On Wednesday, June 10, Gloria Arizabaleta, head of the Chamber’s Commission of Investigation and Accusation, issued a written order to provisionally suspend President Gustavo Petro until June 21 while she investigates alleged intervention in the presidential runoff campaign.
- The order cites repeated posts from Petro’s official X account between June 6 and 9 as evidence of intervention in the June 21 second round, and the commission’s file was returned to the chamber for further handling.
- Senior officials and multiple jurists immediately challenged the action, noting the Commission is an investigatory body and that any suspension requires the Chamber to bring charges and the Senate to vote to suspend the president.
- The presidency says Petro denies improper intervention and continues official duties while speaking at the UN in New York, and some colleagues in the Pacto Histórico have said no collective commission decision has suspended him.
- If the procedural route proceeds the case would face tight timing before the June 21 runoff, could be subject to judicial review, and would be unprecedented because no Colombian president has been suspended through this congressional process.