Colombian President Gustavo Petro, still grappling with the recent election of conservative José Antonio Kast in Chile, labeled Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro a dictator in a fiery statement targeting Kast.
For the first time, Petro openly referred to Maduro as a dictator.
“Maduro is a dictator because he centralizes power,” Petro stated on social media, adding, “There’s no evidence in Colombia that he’s involved in drug trafficking. That’s just the narrative from the U.S.”
He went on to describe Kast as “the son and believer of Nazis,” suggesting Kast belonged to a generation of Germans who fled not to escape Hitler, but rather to avoid the consequences of his defeat, which he claims is a significant distinction.
Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, seems profoundly affected by Kast’s victory, which saw him secure over 58% of the votes across all 16 of Chile’s regions.
Reacting to the conservatives’ win in Chile, Petro unleashed a series of insults, calling Kast a “Nazi” and “Hitler’s son,” stating he would never extend a handshake “to a Nazi or a Nazi child.”
In the wake of Petro’s comments, the outgoing leftist government in Chile issued a formal statement, urging respect for the democratic process and the electoral will of the people.
Chile’s official response hasn’t seemed to stop Petro from his relentless accusations against Kast.
This latest tirade was prompted by Colombian journalist Patricia Janiotto, who questioned why Petro criticized Kast as a Nazi but remained silent about Maduro’s actions. She observed that Petro “forgets” that Maduro allegedly stole the election, while Kast won decisively and deserves respect regardless of personal feelings about the outcome.
Interestingly, despite Petro’s claims about Maduro, U.S. courts indicted the Venezuelan leader in 2020 on multiple narco-terrorism charges, and those accusations remain active.
Maduro supposedly leads the Sunshine Cartel, a significant cocaine trafficking network connected to many high-ranking Venezuelan officials. Just after the U.S. doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture, Petro expressed support for Maduro amid fears of potential U.S. intervention in Venezuela.
In recent months, Petro has been vocally opposed to U.S. military operations against drug traffickers in the Caribbean, even alleging that President Donald Trump is responsible for “murder” through targeted actions against ships carrying drugs.
