Former Colombian President Gustavo Petro Warns of Technofascism in Latin American Elections
2 sources across 2 countries · Argentina · Brazil
Who reported this
- Infobae
- Gazeta do Povo
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Former Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned during a lecture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) that algorithms, bots, and artificial intelligence could influence upcoming elections in Brazil and Mexico. Petro described this phenomenon as technofascism and claimed that such digital operations were used to ensure the victory of Abelardo de la Espriella in the Colombian presidential elections of 2026. He specifically alleged that a network of 2 million bots intervened in the Colombian public conversation to favor De la Espriella.
Petro asserted that these operations were monitored by the United States Department of State under Secretary Marco Rubio. He further claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump was aware of the intervention, citing a statement attributed to Trump regarding De la Espriella's victory. Petro also suggested that similar dynamics influenced the victories of Keiko Fujimori in Peru and José Antonio Kast in Chile. Both reports note that Petro did not provide public evidence to support these claims during his intervention.
This visit to Mexico City marks Petro's first international trip since leaving office on August 7, 2026. During his stay, he met with various academics, cultural representatives, and political figures, including former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa. The U.S. Department of State has not issued a statement regarding these accusations.
How each side framed it
- Centre-right
- Outlets of this lean emphasized the lack of evidence provided by Petro to support his claims of electoral fraud and foreign interference.
Sources
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