Ruptly
"Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday called for a thorough review of allegations of electoral fraud raised by Colombian President Gustavo Petro following Colombia's first-round presidential election. "The will of the people must always prevail in any election. And it is important what President Petro is saying about there being, that it was not a clean count," Sheinbaum said during a press conference in Mexico City. "It is important to listen to him, analyse it, and always respect the popular will. [...] We must respect the decision of the Colombian people, but it is important to go to the very end in this complaint being made about a possible fraud now," she stressed. With 43.74% of the vote - more than 10 million ballots - Right-wing candidate Abelardo De la Espriella led the race, while Ivan Cepeda, representing the ruling Historic Pact coalition, secured 40.90%. Petro said on Sunday that he does not recognise the preliminary vote count released after election day, arguing in a post on X that the figures have no 'binding force.' The Colombian leader alleged that the vote-counting software used by private contractor Hermanos Bautista included roughly 800,000 individuals who were not registered in the official electoral roll. He added that he would only recognise results certified by electoral scrutiny commissions overseen by judges. De la Espriella, who is running as an independent under a movement called Defensores de la Patria (Defenders of the Homeland), urged Petro to accept 'the result of democracy.' The result marks a surprise first-place finish for de la Espriella, a lawyer and political outsider running on a hardline security platform. Cepeda, a longtime senator and ally of President Petro, is campaigning on peace negotiations, social reform and continuity with parts of the current government’s agenda. As neither candidate won the outright majority required for victory, Colombians will return to the polls on June 21 for a runoff election to decide the country's next president."
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