President Gustavo Petro confirmed the first of the moves he is expected to make in the coming days in the ministerial cabinet. Through his X account (formerly Twitter), the head of state said goodbye to the Minister of the Interior, Luis Fernando Velasco, whom he thanked for the work done, as well as announcing the challenges that the next person to take over the direction of that portfolio, whose name he did not reveal, will have to meet.
Context: Changes in Petro’s cabinet: which ministers are on the ropes?
“The next minister of the interior will make the necessary contacts so that constituent power is achieved in this or the next government. Thank you Minister Velasco for his good work,” said Petro in X, without specifying when this change will be.
Since his visit to Sweden a couple of weeks ago, the president himself announced that there would be changes in the circle that accompanies him in government. Since that official trip, in which he also passed through Switzerland, Petro assured that “The change of cabinet has to do above all with the fact that we are in the middle of the government and an evaluation must be made,” just when some of the flagship projects of his government plan were still faltering in Congress.
Petro has even been publicly critical of the performance of some portfolios and in the councils of ministers, as has been known, he has called the attention of his officials for the execution not only of the budget but also for the results. He has told several of them to get their act together or step aside. “Who have been able to bring about change and who have not been able to because their privileges have prevented them from doing so. “We have to evaluate,” he said from Europe this month.
EL COLOMBIANO learned that the changes would be in the Education, Agriculture and Housing ministries, despite the fact that there has been talk in recent days that there would be more ministries. According to this newspaper, in the case of the Ministry of Housing, which is currently headed by Catalina Velasco, the president is reportedly considering her departure, among other things, because he wants the minister’s husband, lawyer Eduardo Noriega, to join the cabinet, most likely replacing Velasco.
Only five officials remain from the initial cabinet in August 2022. Two ministers of liberal origin such as Catalina Velasco in Housing and Néstor Osuna in Justice. Two officials ideologically close to President Petro: Susana Muhamad in Environment and Gloria Inés Ramírez in Work, who have been highlighted for their work. And finally Iván Velásquez in Defense, a renowned jurist with no experience in the sector, who will complete two years in one of the most complex portfolios for any government.
France Marquez As vice president, she led the creation of the Ministry of Equality, which received a hard blow, as the Constitutional Court annulled the process of said portfolio and gave her until 2026 to correct the errors.
Continue reading: “If they walk us through Congress, I would recommend the President bring people from the parties”: Minister of the Interior
Through X, Velasco responded to the president’s message and assured that he will defend the project they have in common “from the space in which it is useful.” “I leave to progressivism the most important social reform of decades approved, we leave alive the possibility of returning rights to workers that were lost with the excuse of new jobs that did not arrive and a legislative agenda with more than 35 initiatives approved or on the way to approval,” he assured when recounting the main commitments he made and for which he worked since last year when he arrived at the Ministry of the Interior.
“Social peace with social dialogue is another legacy that remains, more than 1,600 conflicts with communities resolved without violence and a project of 20 safe zones with technology and Artificial Intelligence remain in communion with mayors and governors,” said Velasco, who reportedly asked the president not to announce his departure together with the other ministers who will soon leave the cabinet by order of Petro.
When addressing the president, he thanked him for his trust and said goodbye to his government colleagues. “Mr. President, it marks my life to be part of a progressive project and I thank you for your trust in helping in this collective dream, and a recognition to all my cabinet colleagues for their solidarity in our work.”
