On August 7, Abelardo de la Espriella is scheduled to be sworn in as president, a transition that has already faced legal scrutiny.
Outgoing president Gustavo Petro, who was not a candidate in the runoff and is term‑limited, has filed a challenge to the June election results after the transition process was suspended earlier this month.
On July 17, Petro lodged a lawsuit in the Council of State’s Administrative Litigation Chamber, arguing that election authorities had significantly reduced transparency and technical safeguards that previously authenticated official documents.
The complaint notes that polling station records no longer include essential metadata, timestamps, document identifiers, or other digital features that enable independent verification.
Petro requests that the court compel the production of logs, hash values, version histories, protocols, and related system documentation to determine whether the changes were properly authorized and whether they compromised verifiability.
He seeks either invalidation of the official results or, alternatively, a new canvass, judicial audit, forensic inspection of election systems, production of technical evidence, and targeted recounts where results cannot be independently verified.
A petition for nullity of the 2026 presidential election was filed, presented by a group of digital witnesses numbering 70,000 citizens.
Petro has publicly claimed that 177,000 votes for Abelardo came from overseas voters, especially in the United States, and that algorithmic fraud was conducted.
He also alleged that hash files were altered, citing a video that purports to show changes to hash files.
Officials expressed concern about recent statements that cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process and generate uncertainty about the transition.
They emphasized that the will of citizens expressed at the ballot box constitutes the foundation of legitimacy, and that disregarding official results undermines the rule of law.
The officials called on authorities to adhere to constitutional principles, respect official results, and ensure a peaceful, orderly, and transparent transition.
