Colombia’s married president Gustavo Petro has found himself embroiled in a scandal after being accused of cheating on his wife with a transgender woman.
The leftist president’s office has declined to comment on a video circulating online purportedly showing Petro walking with Colombian news anchor 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, according to a report Telemundo.
The president, who has been married to Verónica Alcocer since 2000, has neither denied nor confirmed that he is the man seen approaching Yepes, limiting himself to saying that he is not gay and criticizing those he called “transphobic.”
The former guerrilla wrote on X on Wednesday: “I am heterosexual, but you will never hear or read a transphobic word from me. Because not only would I cease to be a man, but also human.”
The office of married Colombian President Gustavo Petro has refused to comment on a video circulating online that purportedly shows him walking with trans news anchor 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 Verónica Alcocer (pictured) since 2000, has refused to deny that he is the man seen approaching Yepes, and has limited himself to saying that he is not gay and criticising those he has called “transphobic”.
He added: ‘I have always considered privacy to be the “last level” of freedom, the last trench of liberty, and I will preserve this principle until I write about myself or die.
“But these thousands of transphobic messages that have exploded in the hands of a deeply exclusionary, ignorant and discriminatory right-wing society must be rejected by the president.”
Speaking on Univision, Yepes was coy when asked about the viral video.
“I was in Panama. I love Panama,” he said.
When I pressed her further, she replied, “I can’t talk about the details yet.”
Yepes also said he has received death threats since the video appeared.
While Petro has not confirmed that he appears in the video, Telemundo noted that the president was seen wearing a similar outfit earlier in the day.
Speaking on Univision, Yepes was shy when asked about the viral video.
While Petro has not confirmed that he appears in the video, Telemundo reported that the president was seen wearing a similar outfit earlier in the day.
Telemundo also noted that the man in the video appears to be accompanied by a bodyguard who resembled the one seen with Petro that same day.
Petro’s wife, a philanthropist, has not commented on the images.
Her comments were not enough for many Colombians, who left angry messages under her statement on social media.
A clever comment: “Your sexual orientation is irrelevant, but the use of public resources to finance your adventures would be in the interest of us all.”
Another said: “It’s incredible that you are accused of cheating and you blame the far right and the Nazis.”
Petro, a supporter of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, has been a strong voice against the United States since taking power in 2022, after spending his life as a prominent leftist figure in Colombia.
Petro’s wife has not commented on the images. They are seen in 2022 celebrating his election
Yepes also said he has received death threats since the video appeared.
In April, thousands of Colombians took to the streets to reject Petro’s reform agenda.
While protests have been a constant since the former leftist guerrilla took power in 2022, they have gained momentum in recent times.
The president is facing difficulties on several fronts, as one of his six sons is accused of corruption, as is his brother.
To further alarm Colombians, Petro has raised the possibility of rewriting the constitution to push through social reforms that he has been unable to push through in the face of opposition from a hostile Congress and conservative business groups.
In May, Petro announced that Colombia would break ties with Israel over the war in Gaza.
Petro has called Israel’s actions in Gaza “genocide.”