Colombia's Petro calls on supporters to defend economic reforms in his last presidential speech

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro called Monday on his supporters to protect his government's social and economic reforms and resist any efforts by the incoming administration to change the nation’s labor laws.

The left-wing leader accused Israel and the United States of interfering in Colombia’s recent presidential election, in a lengthy speech Monday that marked the nation’s Independence Day and that he said would be his last as the nation’s head of state.

President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative lawyer and dual U.S.-Colombian citizen, has promised to cut government spending by up to 40% and draft labor laws that will enable companies to hire employees on an hourly basis. He will be sworn in on Aug. 7.

Petro doubled down on accusations of electoral fraud, saying he would soon provide evidence on how vote tallies were rigged with the help of software supplied by Israel. Colombia’s electoral authorities have dismissed allegations of fraud.

Petro also urged his supporters to mobilize “by the millions” and organize strikes if the nation’s incoming government tries to change labor laws, which have increased overtime pay and made it harder for companies in Colombia to hire workers on short-term contracts.

“We must exercise our opposition in the streets, and resist peacefully ... but in an overwhelming manner,” Petro said.

Political tensions have increased in Colombia following the June 21 presidential election, which de la Espriella won by a small margin of 250,000 votes. The losing candidate, Petro ally Iván Cepeda, initially recognized the results, but later said that if de la Espriella does not renounce his U.S. citizenship, he will not acknowledge him as a legitimate head of state.

Criminal defense lawyer de la Espriella entered politics last year after running a Florida law firm that represented high-profile clients, including former leaders of Colombian paramilitary groups and businessmen charged with money laundering.

The lawyer has promised to cancel peace talks between Colombia’s government and rebel groups, while implementing an iron-fisted approach to crime that includes building mega prisons, modeled after the CECOT penitentiary in El Salvador.

De la Espriella has also said he would like to reduce taxes on businesses, so that they can afford to pay workers higher wages. Under the Petro administration the nation’s minimum wage was almost doubled to around $550 a month.

De la Espriella was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to the election, prompting accusations of interference in Colombia’s domestic affairs.

Petro said Monday that Trump’s support for de la Espriella, should be a reason to annul the results.

Colombia’s electoral authorities have certified de la Espriella’s victory, and the president-elect has said he would like to stage his inauguration ceremony at a military base as a way to show his support for the nation’s armed forces.

The president-elect said Monday that rebel groups, including the National Liberation Army and FARC holdout groups, are offering hitmen up to a million dollars to kill him. De la Espriella has promised to take a tougher stance against these groups, which have become increasingly powerful in rural areas, where they profit from the drug trade.

Sergio Guzmán, a political risk analyst in Bogota, said that de la Espriella will have to make some concessions as he attempts to implement budget cuts or build new prisons because the conservative lawyer lacks a majority in Congress.

Petro on Monday hinted that he could stay in politics by serving as the president of his political party, the Historical Pact.

Petro’s goal now, Guzmán said, “is to prove that he is still influential” and that his administration's priorities “will not fade away” but will be part of a movement that will endure in Colombian politics.

President Gustavo Petro, center, and Vice President Francia Marquez, third from left, attend a military parade marking Colombia's Independence Day in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Military personnel who lost their limbs in the line of duty attend the parade marking Colombia's Independence Day in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

President Gustavo Petro speaks after a military parade marking Independence Day in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A navy cadet touches hands with spectators watching the Independence Day military parade in Bogotá, Colombia, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

President Gustavo Petro addresses supporters, flanked by Vice President Francia Marquez, left, and Sen. Maria Jose Pizarro, right, after a military parade marking Colombia's Independence Day in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Supporters of India’s youth-led Cockroach movement said Tuesday they will continue their protest in New Delhi, refusing to leave their sit-in site a day after police used tear gas and batons to disperse thousands of them as they tried to march toward Parliament.

Hundreds of protesters camped at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site, under heavy police presence, saying they would stay until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns over alleged failures in India’s examination system.

“We are going to continue our protest,” said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, which emerged just two months ago.

The movement, drawing students, professionals and families, marks a rare public challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s government in its third term, reviving criticism over its handling of dissent and its use of force to respond to protests.

Also Tuesday, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and dozens of his Congress party lawmakers staged a sit-in protest outside Modi’s residence, marking a dramatic escalation. Several were seen fastening zip ties around their wrists.

They are there to "demand answers from him for the brutalities against young students yesterday,” Gandhi wrote ion X.

The Cockroach movement began as a satirical protest but quickly evolved into a nationwide, youth-led movement focused on exam leaks, unemployment and government accountability.

It gained momentum over the weekend after prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose three-week hunger strike has become a symbol of the protests, was forcibly taken to a hospital by police.

Video of police beating protesters and dragging them away spread on social media, fueling public outrage. Footage showed young protesters crying and pleading with officers not to hit them, while others stood their ground and endured blows.

Delhi Police said nearly 180 people were injured, including 118 security personnel and 60 protesters.

Sona Bisht, a 20-year-old student who was part of the protest, said the confrontation strengthened her resolve.

“If the government thinks that doing this with Gen Z, they can stop us, then that won’t happen. We are here talking about education, talking about securing our future. And till the time our demands are not met, we will not move from here,” she said.

After nearly a month of silence, the government made its first apparent move to engage with the protesters Monday, when a senior minister held talks with movement representatives. The outreach failed to ease tensions.

Movement leaders said they wanted action rather than assurances, including Pradhan’s resignation, examination reforms and compensation for families of students who died by suicide after alleged exam irregularities.

Dipke accused authorities of breaking their word, saying police resorted to a baton charge after protesters were invited for talks.

Rights group Amnesty International said in a statement late Monday that the police action showed “how peaceful dissent is being suppressed in India," noting that the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is recognized under the Indian constitution.

More people have joined the movement after seeing the confrontation.

Rabina Kashyap, a 26-year-old working professional, said she joined the protest on Tuesday.

“I have nothing to do with this protest," she said. “But this is India, this is my country, and these are my people. So I will stand by them.”

Associated Press video journalist Piyush Nagpal contributed to this report.

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party scuffle with police as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Vipin)

Security officers stand guard at the camping site of the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, sits by a portrait of hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk during a protest in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

A supporter of the Cockroach Janta Party holds posters of Bhagat Singh, an Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

Supporters gather at the camping site of the Cockroach Janta Party at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)