Colombian President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella suspended the government transition process and accused outgoing President Gustavo Petro of plotting a coup, El Pais reported on July 7. Arguing against leftist leaders' calls for civil disobedience, de la Espriella requested that the army not follow unconstitutional orders and said protests would be regarded as urban terrorism.

De la Espriella's statements came just over three weeks after he won the runoff election by a tight margin and one month ahead of his inauguration on Aug. 7. The transition process officially began the week of July 29. On July 6, Petro reiterated claims that the presidential election was rigged against leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda, who, on June 30, called Colombians to engage in civil disobedience should de la Espriella not abide by a series of demands, including renouncing his U.S. citizenship and committing not to extradite Petro to the United States. Leveraging his anti-corruption rhetoric, de la Espriella has framed the transition period as an audit of Petro's government.