Breaking: Colombian Court Removes President Petro, Orders New Election in 90 Days

Breaking — Colombia

A Colombian appeals court on Thursday annulled President Gustavo Petro’s signature education referendum, ruling 6-5 that the vote violated budget separation rules — forcing a new presidential election within 90 days and making Petro the first sitting Colombian president removed by judicial order.

The Constitutional Court’s decision, announced in a packed hearing in Bogotá, stems from a challenge filed by opposition senator María Fernanda Cabal, who argued that Petro’s November 2025 education-reform referendum usurped congressional authority over the national budget.

Chief Justice Álvaro Alfonso García read the majority opinion in a nationally televised ruling, saying the referendum campaign had “crossed constitutional lines in a manner that cannot be regularized by post-hoc legalizations.” The court ordered the immediate suspension of all referendum-related executive orders and mandated that Congress organize a new presidential election within 90 days.

Petro, who was in Cartagena when the ruling was issued, appeared briefly on national television and called the decision “a judicial coup against the will of 11 million Colombians who voted yes.” His legal team said it would appeal to the Supreme Court within 24 hours and seek an injunction to halt the election timeline pending review.

The Constitutional Court is the highest authority on constitutional interpretation in Colombia and its rulings are not subject to presidential veto. There is no constitutional mechanism for a president to block or delay enforcement.

Vice President Sandra Rodríguez assumes the duties of the presidency during the transition period. She told reporters outside the presidential palace that the government “will function normally” and that continuity of state institutions is the priority. She did not say whether she would be a candidate in the new election.

The political fallout is already being felt across Latin America. Venezuelan President María Machado issued a statement calling the ruling “an encouraging sign that Colombia’s institutions are robust.” Bolivarian Republic officials in Caracas said they had received no advance warning of the court’s decision, describing it as “genuinely surprising.”

Colombian markets reacted sharply: the peso fell 3.8 percent against the dollar in the hour after the ruling before partially recovering. The Colombian Stock Exchange’s main index dropped 4.1 percent at the open of Friday trading before leveling off.

The new presidential election must be held within 90 days under Article 223 of the Colombian Constitution. Candidates from Petro’s Historic Pact coalition and the Centro Esperanza party are expected to announce their candidacies within the week.

Diego Vargas, Media Hook, Bogotá.