Colombia: Impeachment Committee chair orders Gustavo Petro to be suspended from office until June 21

The chair of the Investigation and Impeachment Committee of the Colombian House of Representatives, Gloria Arizabaleta, ordered the provisional suspension of President Gustavo Petro until June 21, the date scheduled for the presidential runoff. The precautionary measure was adopted as part of an investigation into alleged improper involvement in politics during the electoral process.

According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, the decision has raised serious doubts about its legal validity, since the actions of the Impeachment Committee typically require processing and approval by collegiate bodies within the commission itself and, ultimately, by the full House of Representatives. Members of the body told the media that similar measures had been considered previously and rejected due to questions about their legal viability.

The resolution states that the provisional suspension aims to prevent any potential interference by the president in the ongoing election campaign. The document indicates that the conduct under investigation could fall under the prohibitions on political interference set forth in Article 60 of Law 1952 of 2019, which are classified as very serious offenses.

The order notes that, although the definitive nature of the conduct will be determined during the investigation, the alleged violation cannot be considered minor due to the high rank of the official under investigation and the significance of the events in the midst of an electoral contest just days before the second round.

The Impeachment Committee also specified that the provisional suspension entails immediate removal from office and that the measure will remain in effect until June 21, 2026, at 4 p.m., coinciding with the second round of the presidential election.

Prior to this decision, the commission had opened two disciplinary investigations against Petro for alleged political involvement through posts on his social media accounts. One of the investigations stemmed from messages posted between June 6 and 8 on X.

The document initiating the investigation states that the posts could constitute political interference related to the upcoming presidential elections, which is why the commission deemed it necessary to initiate an investigation while Petro is in office.