Colombia president warns of plot to remove him as former ally calls him drug 'addict'
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday that an 'international plot' to oust him from office is underway after his former foreign minister accused him of being a drug 'addict' for the second time in three weeks.
Alvaro Leyva published a seven-page letter on the social platform X calling for Petro's resignation and alleging that he is 'dependent on substances that affect emotional and mental equilibrium.' Petro, who was elected in 2022 and has a year left in office, vehemently denied the accusation during a speech in Bogota, saying he is a 'revolutionary' who will not be 'enslaved' by drugs.
Leyva, a seasoned politician and former presidential candidate, first leveled the accusation against Petro in a letter published April 22, in which he said the president 'went missing' for two days during a state visit to Paris and attributed that to purported drug use. Petro replied that he had taken time off to visit relatives in France.
Leyva doubled down Tuesday, saying Petro also failed to show up at meetings during a 2023 visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as well as a high-profile visit to Chile's Supreme Court while on an official trip to that country.
'You must recognize, President, that your disappearances and inexplicable behaviors are the result of your sickly condition' Leyva said in the new letter. 'The president of Colombia, the country of coca, has fallen into the trap of vice.' Petro's unpredictable schedule and unexplained absences from official events have long been a source of debate, with the Colombian opposition accusing him of being erratic and unreliable.
On multiple occasions lawmakers have urged Petro, who once said in a televised Cabinet meeting that cocaine 'is no worse than whiskey,' to undergo medical examination to prove he is not consuming illegal substances.
Also Tuesday, Sen. Miguel Uribe drafted a petition calling on the Senate to create a commission of three medical specialists who can investigate Petro's health and help determine whether he 'has a permanent physical incapacity,' a move that could eventually lead to his removal from office.
The petition has not been discussed on the Senate floor so far.
Petro said the opposition and Leyva, a former ally, are out to oust him and called it 'an attempt to undermine Colombia's sovereignty, its democracy and the freedom of Colombians.' The president also accused United States Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, of being a leader of the purported plot, but without providing evidence.
'Don't try to overthrow the President of Colombia' Petro said in a message on X. 'Or you will unleash the Colombian revolution.' Diaz-Balart replied on the same platform, writing in Spanish that Petro is 'an embarrassment.' "I hope that with professional help you can fight your addiction and get better,' Diaz-Balart said.
Leyva, who long worked to facilitate negotiations between the Colombian government and rebel groups, supported Petro during his presidential campaign and became foreign minister in August 2022.
He was removed from his position in February 2024 after the Inspector General's office found him guilty of illegally interfering with a contract for a company to print passports.
Petro said Tuesday that Leyva is 'bitter' about his ouster.
'The Inspector General removed him,' he said. 'But he is trying to take it out on me.'
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