Led by the United States, the members of the so-called “Shield of the Americas,” a military cooperation initiative established between Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, issued a call demanding respect for the official result of the elections recently held in Colombia, where conservative politician Abelardo de la Espriella became president of the South American nation.

The founder of the political movement Defenders of the Homeland had the support of Donald Trump and after his victory on the ballot he hopes to take office on August 7.

While the National Electoral Council declared De la Espriella the winner with 12,960,166 votes against the 12,708,312 votes of his adversary Iván Cepeda, Gustavo Petro, the president who is on his way out, considers his political ally Cepeda to be the true winner and, without providing evidence, speaks of a fraud polarizing Colombians.

In response, through a joint statement released by the State Department, the “Shield of the Americas” urges that Colombian authorities guarantee a “peaceful, orderly and transparent transition.”

"We reject any action, declaration or decision that seeks to delegitimize the mandate conferred by citizens, baselessly discredit the competent electoral authorities or hinder the institutional transition, known in Colombia as the splicing process. The transition between governments does not constitute a political concession, but rather a constitutional and institutional duty aimed at guaranteeing the continuity of the State, democratic stability and the effective fulfillment of the popular will.

We make a firm call to all Colombian authorities to act in strict observance of the Constitution, the law and democratic principles; so that they respect the results officially proclaimed by the competent electoral authorities,” indicates part of the document.

In response, Pedro Sánchez, Minister of Defense, recognizes the result of the electoral elections and commits that the public force will “always maintain its political neutrality, will always maintain its firmness in complying with and abiding by the Constitution and the law.”

It should be noted that Abelardo de la Espriella established as a campaign commitment to integrate Colombia into the “Shield of the Americas.”

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