Petro’s Final Call: Rally Supporters to Guard Colombia’s Economic Reforms

BOGOTÁ — As fireworks burst overhead to celebrate Colombia’s 207th Independence Day, President Gustavo Petro took the podium for what he called his very last speech as head of state. Flanked by Vice‑President Francia Marquez and Senator María José Pizarro, he spoke into a sea of supporters gathered in the capital’s historic plaza.

Petro, the country’s first left‑leaning president, did not waste time with pleasantries. He reminded the crowd that his government had, over the past four years, pushed through a suite of social and economic reforms – higher overtime pay, tighter rules on short‑term contracts and a slew of social‑spending programs that many Colombians now rely on.

“Don’t let anyone roll back what we have built,” he urged, his voice ringing with a mixture of conviction and desperation. “If the next administration tries to tear down these labor protections, we will be ready – ready to strike, ready to protest, ready to defend our rights by the millions.”

He didn’t stop at domestic policy. Petro leveled fresh accusations at Israel and the United States, claiming they had meddled in Colombia’s recent presidential election. The former president said he would soon reveal “concrete evidence” – supposedly software supplied by Israel that, in his view, helped rig the vote counts. Colombia’s electoral authority has already dismissed those fraud claims as unfounded.

The incoming president‑elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative lawyer who holds both U.S. and Colombian citizenship, has promised a dramatic fiscal tightening – up to a 40% cut in government spending – and a revamp of labor law that would let firms hire workers on an hourly basis. De la Espriella is slated to take the oath on August 7.

Petro’s warning was crystal clear: any attempt to roll back the overtime premium or to make it easier for companies to sidestep long‑term contracts would be met with mass mobilization. “We must organize, we must be ready to strike, we must protect the people’s gains,” he declared, pausing briefly as the crowd cheered.

The speech, recorded by the Associated Press and broadcast nationwide, highlighted the deepening polarization in Colombian politics. While Petro painted his opponents as foreign puppets seeking to undo progress, critics say his rhetoric fuels division at a moment when the country needs stability.

For now, Colombia watches as a left‑wing president departs, a conservative successor prepares to assume power, and a nation’s labor laws sit at the centre of a heated political showdown.