Following the shocking armed attack on Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group has expressed its strong solidarity with the centre-right opposition party, the Centro Democrático, and has called for full accountability from the Colombian authorities.

Mr Turbay, the leading opposition candidate in next year’s presidential elections, was critically wounded after being shot multiple times in the back. The incident has triggered widespread concern across Latin America and Europe about the deteriorating state of democracy and security under the Petro administration.

ECR MEP Carlo Fidanza, Vice-Chair of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat), stated:

“The poisonous alliance between drug cartels and the radical left is once again taking its toll on democratic forces in Latin America. The brutal attack on Senator Uribe is not just an attack on a political opponent — it is an attack on democracy itself.

“We stand firmly with our friends from Centro Democrático, and we pray for Senator Uribe’s full recovery. President Petro must take full political responsibility for the climate of hostility and insecurity in which such acts become possible.

“The ECR Group is urging the European Union to monitor the situation closely, and to reaffirm its support for democratic institutions and free political competition in Colombia and the wider region.”