Colombia’s married President Gustavo Petro has been embroiled in a scandal after being accused of cheating on his wife with a transgender woman.
The president’s left-wing office declined to comment on a video circulating online that allegedly shows Petro walking with Colombian newsreader Linda Yepes after the inauguration of new Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on Sunday.
The shocking video, which shows a man and a woman walking hand in hand before he stops to lovingly take a photo of her, has shocked Colombia and the region, reports Teleworld.
The president, who has been married to Veronica Alcocer since 2000, has never denied or confirmed that he is the man seen near Yepes. He has only said that he is not homosexual and has criticized those he calls “transphobic.”
The former guerrilla member wrote on X on Wednesday: ‘I am heterosexual, but you will never hear or read a transphobic word from me. Because then he would not only no longer be a man, but also no longer a human being.’
The office of Colombia’s married President Gustavo Petro has declined to comment on a video circulating online that allegedly shows him walking with transgender newsreader Linda Yepes.
The man in the viral video is seen taking a photo of the woman in Panama City
The president, who has been married to Veronica Alcocer (pictured) since 2000, has refused to deny that he is the man seen near Yepes, saying only that he is not homosexual and criticizing those he called “transphobic.”
He added: ‘I have always thought that intimacy is the ‘last level’ of freedom, the last step of liberty, and I will maintain this principle until I write about myself or die.
“But these thousands of transphobic messages that have exploded in the hands of a right-wing, extremely exclusive, ignorant and discriminatory society must be rejected by the president.”
When Yepes was asked about the viral video at Univision, he was cagey in his response.
“I was in Panama. I love Panama,” she said.
When I pressed her further, she replied, “I can’t talk about the details yet.
Yepes also claims she has received death threats since the video surfaced.
Petro has not confirmed that he appears in the video, but Telemundo pointed out that the president was seen earlier in the day in a similar outfit.
In an interview with Univision, Yepes acted a little shy when asked about the viral video
Although Petro has not confirmed that he appears in the video, Telemundo pointed out that the president was seen earlier in the day in a similar outfit
Telemundo also noted that the man in the video appears to be accompanied by a bodyguard similar to the one seen with Petro earlier that day.
Petro’s wife, a philanthropist, has not commented on the images.
Moreover, his comments were not enough for many Colombians, who posted angry messages under his statement on social media.
One response is already ready: ‘Your sexual orientation is irrelevant, but using public funds to finance your adventures would be interesting for all of us.’
Another message read: ‘It’s unbelievable that you are accused of cheating and blamed on the far right and the Nazis.’
Petro, a supporter of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, has been a vocal voice against the US since taking power in 2022. He was a prominent leftist figure in Colombia throughout his life.
Petro’s wife has not commented on the images, which will be shown in 2022 in honor of his election
Yepes has also claimed she has received death threats since the video emerged
In April, thousands of Colombians took to the streets to express their disapproval of Petro’s reform plans.
Although protests have increased recently since the former leftist guerrilla fighter came to power in 2022.
The president is facing several problems: one of his six children and his brother are accused of corruption.
Colombians are becoming even more alarmed: Petro has suggested he wants to rewrite the constitution to encourage social reforms. However, he has failed to implement reforms due to opposition from a hostile Congress and conservative business groups.
In May, Petro announced that Colombia would cut ties with Israel over the war in Gaza.
Petro called the Israeli actions in Gaza “genocide.”