How Colombia’s First Leftist Presidency Was Derailed

The first leftist presidency in Colombia’s history was almost paralyzed in June as senior officials became embroiled in scandals and onetime allies in congress broke away from the ruling coalition. After members of President Gustavo Petro’s inner circle were accused of illegal wiretapping and campaign finance violations, the nation’s assets rallied, as investors calculated that the stalling of the government’s radical agenda reduced the risk of holding Colombia’s bonds and currency.

In late May, a former nanny who worked for Petro’s chief of staff told Semana magazine that she’d been interrogated and subjected to a polygraph test by members of the president’s security team in a government building across the street from the presidential palace. That happened after the chief of staff, Laura Sarabia, accused the woman of stealing thousands of dollars in cash from her home. The scandal, which pitted a powerful official against a low-paid nanny, was embarrassing to a government that claims to represent the poorest Colombians against the rich and powerful.