00:00Institutional order prevails over authoritarian delusions.
00:04Under the 1991 Constitution, we had not had a lack of knowledge of the results
00:10electoral events like the one we witnessed this past week.
00:14Outgoing President Gustavo Petro said, without providing evidence, that the people voted for
00:19Senator Iván Cepeda and that he was not going to recognize the incoming government of Abelardo de la Espriella.
00:25What followed was an exchange of accusations between the outgoing president and the incoming one.
00:30at the same time as the transition meetings were suspended.
00:34Despite the tension experienced, perhaps the most important story is what didn't happen.
00:40The country did not enter into crisis, the institutions responded with strength, and there is no doubt
00:46that on August 7th there will be a new president fulfilling the promise of our democracy.
00:53We will not enter into controversies about the evidence that President Petro has promised to present.
00:59Institutional mechanisms, both at the national and international levels,
01:05are at your disposal.
01:07If we say, once again, that the international observers, the national observers
01:13and several independent organizations were guarantors of our elections.
01:18Every time President Petro has raised the banner of fraud, journalism and society
01:24Civilians have taken on the task of seriously verifying what is happening, and we have not found
01:31no reason to doubt the result of the second round.
01:36If it is useful, in any case, to do a counterfactual about what happened this week, a president
01:44The quite popular man used his powerful megaphone to tell the Colombians that they had been robbed
01:50the elections.
01:51What would have happened if people had taken to the streets in a rage?
01:55And if then the president, emboldened, had decided not to leave power on the 7th
02:02In August, what would the other side's reaction have been?
02:07We would be in the midst of a crisis of unmanageable proportions.
02:12Why didn't it happen?
02:14We must acknowledge the silent work of members of the historic pact who, recognizing
02:19The delirium, they lowered the tone.
02:21But they weren't the only ones.
02:23The Attorney General's Office and the Comptroller's Office intervened to ensure that the transition could take place.
02:28despite the lack of dialogue.
02:30The courts, which already have a long history of independence, are suitable spaces for
02:36to process the electoral annulment action that the president announced amid his resignation.
02:42When political speeches seek to generate shock, it is essential that the rules of the game
02:48Let them not be disturbed, let the referees operate with precision, and let the State be larger.
02:54than a surname.
02:56Studies on successful cases in public policy show that having institutions
03:02Strong institutions with social legitimacy and transparent mechanisms are key for a State
03:08survive in moments of high stress.
03:11These same institutions are viewed with suspicion by leaders who see them as an obstacle.
03:18for their individual interests.
03:20That is why we have heard and will continue to hear speeches that seek to attack and discredit them.
03:26and reduce its scope of action.
03:28It's not about defending them blindly, but about delicately navigating the need
03:34to improve them while showing people how useful they are.
03:40More clashes are coming, and not just from one ideological sector.
03:43If we want our democracy to withstand it, we must commit to building the State.
03:51If you agree with this editorial, please send your 500-word counter-editorial to
03:57elespectadoropinion.com
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