MEXICO CITY, June 10. /TASS/. The president of Colombia's legislative Commission of Investigation and Accusation, Gloria Arizabaleta, has ordered the suspension of President Gustavo Petro from office until June 21, the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported.
According to the publication, the measure was imposed on a precautionary basis. Other committee members told El Tiempo that similar initiatives against the head of state had been considered before but were rejected each time because of doubts about their legal basis and validity.
On Tuesday, the committee opened two disciplinary investigations into Petro over his possible unlawful involvement in political campaigning. The move followed a series of public appearances by the president, including a speech in the Cordoba Department that included criticism of the opposition.
Colombia's Council of State had previously barred the president from intervening in the ongoing electoral process, but Petro ignored those restrictions. The ban applies to the president's public speeches, broadcasts on official government TV and radio channels, and posts on online platforms.
Colombia held a presidential election on May 31. According to vote-count results published by the National Registry of the Civil Status on its website, far-right politician and businessman Abelardo de la Espriella and Ivan Cepeda, representing the ruling left-wing Historic Pact coalition, emerged as the leading candidates. Under those results, they advance to a runoff scheduled for June 21.