Colombia’s president calls for special elections for labor and health reform at a rally
Bogota, Colombia (AP) – President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday urged supporters to “rebellion” against centrists and right-wing politicians who have blocked efforts to reform Colombia’s health system and labor laws as the country prepares for next year’s Congress and presidential elections.
Petro gave a half-hour speech during a protest organized by unions on Tuesday, saying his administration would urge plans to organize a special election. A referendum will enable voters to approve or reject health and labor legislation struggling in Congress due to lack of consensus among political parties.
“The people have now been ruled by monarchs and tyrants,” Petro said of the members of Congress who opposed the reform. “They want to use humanity because they have sold their hearts to greed.”
Petro, the first leftist president of South America, has been working to get legislation through the Senate, where his historical convention movement only has one-fifth of all seats.
Petro gave National Government staff a day off on Tuesday so they could participate in protests in support of the special elections, while government agencies promoted the protests through social media feeds and TV advertising.
On Tuesday, thousands of people participated in protests in Bogota’s historic Piazza Bolivar, the main spokesman. The president urged voters to “punish” members of Congress “punish” him accused of legislative law and succumb to “corruption and greed.”
The special elections that the government plans to hold are called popular counsel for Colombian law and require Senate approval. To implement its results, one-third of all registered voters must participate or about 13 million people.
Political analysts in Colombia say it is difficult for the Petro government to convince enough voters to participate in the election. The president was elected in 2022 with 11.2 million votes.
But some analysts say special elections could help the government provide incentives for its supporters ahead of the March congressional election. The special elections also enable the National Government to use public funds to run for its cause.
“The government is trying to shift responsibility from its own identity from reasons that it cannot reach a consensus,” said Sergio Guzman, a political analyst in Bogota. “Now, it uses reform as a major reason for what to take office for another four years.”
During the 2022 presidential campaign, Petro assured that he will change Colombia’s health system by eliminating insurers that deal with mandatory social security payments and put government agencies in charge of managing the funds.
PETRO accuses insurance companies of inappropriate millions of dollars. But lawmakers have rejected his health reform several times, which they believe will give government bureaucrats too much power and say the government is not able to manage millions of patients.
Petro also proposed increasing night workers’ salaries and making it harder for companies to hire workers to engage in short-term contracts through their labor reform programs. But labor reform was put on hold in a key committee vote on Tuesday. Its critics argue that this will make it more expensive for companies to hire workers, resulting in unemployment.
More than 55% of Colombians work in the informal economy without any labor contracts. Critics of Peter’s reform say the president’s legislation provides companies with few incentives to hire these informal workers.
