Faced with traditional political parties opposing several of his bills, Colombian President Gustavo Petro replaced seven ministers of his coalition government on Wednesday April 26. “Today is building a new cabinet that will help consolidate the government’s program,” an official statement from the Head of State announced in the early afternoon.
Mr. Petro notably replaced the Ministers of the Interior, Finance, Agriculture and Health. The four holders of these portfolios are now respectively Ricardo Bonilla, Jhenifer Mojica, Luis Fernando Velasco and Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo. All of them have the profiles of technocrats and academics rather than politicians. They are relatives or former collaborators of President Petro.
His left-wing platform, on which he was elected in the summer of 2022, provided “a roadmap to bring about the change that millions of Colombians and Colombians voted for,” the statement said. Despite “a commitment to dialogue”, with a government coalition open to the center and the moderate right, this “pact has been rejected by some mainstream and establishment politicians”, justifies Mr. Petro in the document, reaffirming his objective of a “social change agenda”, while promoting “grand national agreements”.
In power since August 7, Gustavo Petro is trying with difficulty to pass several bills, in particular in recent weeks a disputed reform of the health system which has undermined his government coalition. The political crisis had been brewing for several weeks. The liberal party, the conservative party and the party of the U (centrist), all three members of the government coalition, once again opposed head-on this bill on health on Tuesday, threatening to expel from their ranks all parliamentarians who vote in favor of it.
“Rule with Your Own”
The first executive formed by the left-wing president was based on a coalition open to the center, the moderate right, and the academic world. The key portfolios of Defense, Interior, Finance and Foreign Affairs had thus been entrusted to personalities not from the “Historical Pact”, the left-wing alliance that brought Petro to power.
Since his arrival at the head of the country, Gustavo Petro has had to face several resignations and dismissed three of his ministers at the end of February, including the centrist Alejandro Gaviria of the Education portfolio, very critical of the reform of health. By replacing 7 of the 18 members of his cabinet, Petro “sends a clear message” on the most serious political crisis he faces in nine months of government: “the president wants to govern with his people”, says the analytical media politics of the Silla Vacia.
On February 15, Gustavo Petro called on his supporters to take to the streets in support of his reforms. From the balcony of the presidential palace he had warned that he would continue to call for protests until “change” became a reality. In addition to the failure of several of his bills in Congress, Mr. Petro is facing many difficulties in implementing his ambitious “total peace” plan to end the armed conflict in the country, where many still rage. armed groups.