The counting software was altered three times, adding 800,000 people who don't exist in the official census.
En Colombia, la legitimidad de una elección presidencial ha quedado suspendida entre dos versiones del mismo padrón electoral: la oficial y la que, según el presidente Gustavo Petro, fue alterada por la empresa privada Thomas Greg & Sons en los días previos a los comicios. Petro rechazó los resultados del preconteo que favorecen al candidato de derecha Abelardo de la Espriella, alegando que el software fue modificado tres veces y que 800.000 cédulas sin respaldo censal fueron incorporadas al sistema. Lo que está en juego no es solo un conteo de votos, sino la pregunta más antigua de la democracia: ¿quién tiene la autoridad para decir quién ganó?
- El presidente Petro se niega a reconocer el preconteo privado que da ganador al candidato opositor de derecha, desatando una crisis de legitimidad electoral en plena noche de elecciones.
- La empresa Thomas Greg & Sons, ya envuelta en polémicas contractuales durante el gobierno Petro, está en el centro de la tormenta: se le acusa de haber alterado algoritmos de conteo e introducido 800.000 registros fantasma en el padrón.
- El candidato respaldado por Petro, Iván Cepeda, respalda las denuncias y habla de una 'discrepancia electoral' de casi 885.000 personas, mientras su campaña verifica patrones de votación anómalos en múltiples mesas.
- El expresidente Duque y el exministro Gaviria lanzan acusaciones directas: uno llama al mundo a estar alerta ante una amenaza a la democracia; el otro dice que Petro ha demostrado que no es, en el fondo, un demócrata.
- Colombia queda a la espera de que las comisiones electorales judiciales emitan resultados vinculantes, mientras la confianza pública en el proceso se erosiona por horas.
El domingo, el presidente colombiano Gustavo Petro anunció que no reconocería el preconteo preliminar de las elecciones presidenciales, que mostraba al candidato de derecha Abelardo de la Espriella ganando la primera vuelta frente al izquierdista Iván Cepeda, respaldado por el mandatario. El rechazo se centró en acusaciones de manipulación técnica contra Thomas Greg & Sons, la firma privada encargada del software y la logística electoral.
Petro afirmó que los algoritmos de conteo de la empresa fueron modificados en tres ocasiones durante la semana previa a los comicios, y que esas alteraciones introdujeron 800.000 números de cédula que no figuran en el censo oficial. En redes sociales, el presidente declaró que no aceptaría los resultados del preconteo privado y que solo reconocería los certificados por las comisiones electorales judiciales. Señaló además que estaciones de votación ya impugnadas registraban cientos de miles de votos de personas que, según él, nunca acudieron a las urnas.
La relación entre el gobierno Petro y Thomas Greg & Sons tiene historia propia. La compañía fue protagonista de una controversia en 2024, cuando el canciller Álvaro Leyva fue suspendido por haber bloqueado ilegalmente contratos de pasaportes que la firma había ganado legítimamente. Más tarde, la canciller Laura Sarabia anunció una renovación contractual con la empresa, pero fue desautorizada públicamente por la presidencia, que optó por trasladar la producción de pasaportes a Portugal. Sarabia renunció meses después.
Cepeda respaldó las denuncias presidenciales y habló de una 'discrepancia electoral' de cerca de 885.000 registros, prometiendo no pronunciarse sobre los resultados finales hasta que las irregularidades fueran aclaradas. La respuesta opositora fue inmediata: el expresidente Iván Duque acusó a Petro de intentar desconocer la democracia y llamó a la comunidad internacional a mantenerse alerta. El exministro Alejandro Gaviria fue más directo aún, argumentando que la disposición a perder es la prueba definitiva del compromiso democrático, y que Petro había fallado esa prueba. Colombia enfrenta ahora una crisis de legitimidad electoral cuya resolución depende de instituciones sometidas a una presión sin precedentes.
On Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced he would not accept the preliminary election count that showed right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella winning the first round of the presidential race against leftist Iván Cepeda, whom Petro backs. The rejection centered on claims of technical manipulation and census fraud by the private firm managing the count.
Petro's objection focused on Thomas Greg & Sons, the company contracted to handle the election's software and logistics. He alleged that the firm's counting algorithms had been altered three separate times in the final week before the election, and that these changes had introduced 800,000 additional voter identification numbers into the system—people who did not appear in the official census. "As president, I do not accept the preliminary count results from the private firm of the Bautista brothers," Petro wrote on social media, "because the counting software algorithms, which should have remained fixed, were changed on three occasions and added 800,000 ID numbers of people not in the official census."
Petro argued that the preliminary count carried no binding force and that its data held no legal standing. He pointed out that two separate census records now existed: the official government version and the inflated version used by Thomas Greg & Sons' software. He further claimed that already-contested polling stations showed evidence of hundreds of thousands of votes recorded for people who never actually voted. The president stated he would only accept results certified by judicial election commissions, not by the private contractor.
This was not Petro's first clash with Thomas Greg & Sons. The company, founded in 1960 and owned by the Gutiérrez brothers, had become a flashpoint during Petro's administration over passport issuance contracts. In 2024, Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva was suspended after the attorney general found he had improperly blocked Thomas Greg & Sons from winning a passport contract twice, despite the company meeting all requirements. During Leyva's suspension, Luis Gilberto Murillo took over the ministry, followed in January 2025 by Laura Sarabia. Sarabia announced a contract renewal with Thomas Greg & Sons to extend the passport agreement, but was publicly overruled by the presidency, which chose to handle passport production through Portugal instead. Sarabia resigned less than six months into her tenure and was replaced by Rosa Villavicencio.
Cepeda, Petro's preferred candidate, echoed the president's concerns. He described what he called an "electoral discrepancy" involving approximately 885,000 people or identification numbers, and said his campaign was verifying reports of anomalous voting patterns across an unspecified number of polling stations. He pledged to withhold judgment on the final results until the irregularities were fully clarified.
The rejection triggered sharp criticism from opposition figures. Former President Iván Duque accused Petro of attempting to "disregard democracy and the electoral organization," calling on institutions to respond immediately and urging the international community to "remain alert to this threat." Duque framed the dispute as an attack on the will of the majority and called for Colombian democrats to unite against what he characterized as an attempt to overturn the people's choice.
Alejandro Gaviria, who served as education minister under Petro before breaking with him, offered a more pointed critique. He argued that Petro's actions revealed he was not a true democrat, since democracy, Gaviria said, is defined by a leader's willingness to lose—to accept the rules of the game and concede with grace. The dispute now stands as a fundamental test of whether Colombia's electoral institutions can resolve the competing claims and restore public confidence in the count.
Notable Quotes
As president, I do not accept the preliminary count results from the private firm because the counting software algorithms were changed on three occasions and added 800,000 ID numbers of people not in the official census.— President Gustavo Petro
A democrat is recognized by their willingness to lose—to accept the rules of the game and concede with grace.— Alejandro Gaviria, former education minister
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did Petro focus specifically on the census discrepancy rather than, say, allegations of vote tampering at individual polling stations?
Because the census claim is structural—it delegitimizes the entire count at once. If 800,000 phantom voters were added to the system, then every result flowing from that inflated census becomes suspect. It's not about individual stations; it's about the foundation.
But he's also claiming hundreds of thousands of votes were recorded for people who didn't vote. Aren't those two different problems?
They overlap. The inflated census creates the possibility for ghost votes. If the system knows about 800,000 extra people, it can record votes for them. He's building a case that the software itself was compromised, not just misused.
What's the significance of Thomas Greg & Sons being involved in the passport scandal?
It shows a pattern. Petro's own government tried twice to block this company from winning contracts. Now that same company is running the election count, and Petro loses. It looks like either he's settling a score or—from his perspective—the company he distrusted is now in a position to alter results against him.
Does Petro have evidence of the three algorithm changes he claims happened?
The source doesn't say. He's making the allegation publicly, but whether he has technical documentation or just suspicion isn't clear. That's a crucial gap.
Why would Cepeda accept Petro's framing so quickly?
Because Cepeda lost. If the count is illegitimate, the loss doesn't stand. He has everything to gain by validating Petro's concerns, at least until the judicial commissions rule.
What happens if the judicial commissions confirm the preliminary count?
Then Petro faces a choice: accept the result and preserve democratic norms, or reject it and risk a constitutional crisis. Either way, Colombia's electoral credibility takes a hit.