Who will be the ministers of the government of Gustavo Petro? This is how his cabinet appointments go

What would happen at the beginning of Petro's mandate in Colombia?

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(CNN Spanish) --

The elected president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has outlined little by little what his government will be, with the appointment of some ministers.

Bit by bit, Petro —who was elected in the June 19 elections— is announcing the officials who will lead the ministries in the government that begins on August 7.

Ministry of Culture - Patricia Ariza

This Monday, July 4, President-elect Gustavo Petro announced a new appointment through his Twitter account: Patricia Ariza, new Minister of Culture.

Patricia Ariza, from Santander de Vélez, poet and artist, will be the new Minister of Culture.

An explosion of culture throughout Colombia for Peace and coexistence.

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A culture for identity to boost diverse Colombianness.https://t.co/WLwTVQZJal

– Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) July 4, 2022

Petro said that with the appointment of Ariza there will be "an explosion of culture throughout Colombia for Peace and coexistence. A culture for identity to revitalize diverse Colombianness."

Ariza is 76 years old, was born in Santander, is a poet, artist, actress and playwright.

She studied Arts at the National University of Colombia and was the founder of the Teatro de la Candelaria in Bogotá, a cultural institution in Colombia that she currently directs.

The new minister shared a message on her Twitter account thanking her for the appointment:

"Thank you President Petro for valuing culture and art. Thanks to the artists of this country who give us their support. Thanks to my theater friends. We will try to ensure that culture and art contribute to peace and inclusion" , wrote.

I agree!

@petrogustavo @FranciaMarquezM pic.twitter.com/s6wJVGpJqz

– Patricia Ariza Florez (@PatriciaArizaF) July 4, 2022

Ministry of Finance — José Antonio Ocampo

Gustavo Petro and José Alberto Ocampo, the next Minister of Economy of Colombia.

(Credit: TwitterR / Gustavo Petro)

José Antonio Ocampo will be Colombia's next finance minister and his goal will be "to build a productive economy and an economy for life," Petro said upon announcing his election to the country's economic portfolio.

José Antonio Ocampo is currently the co-director of the Economic and Political Development Specialization at the School of International and Public Affairs, a member of the Committee on Global Thought, and co-chair of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Columbia University.

He is also the chairman of the Committee for Development Policy, an expert committee of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc).

Ocampo has a BA in Economics and Sociology from the University of Notre Dame in 1972 and a Ph. Colombia, and as a visiting professor at the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Yale.

This is a key announcement that has been very well received by various sectors, since Ocampo's trajectory is a signal for the market economy and investors, at the same time that it is considered as a support for the management of the progressive agenda of Petro.

Foreign Ministry — Álvaro Leyva

This was Petro's first cabinet appointment.

At the time of his announcement on June 25, the president-elect said that Leyva's office will be "a Foreign Ministry of Peace," adding that the country "will contribute all its efforts to the world to overcome the climate crisis and we expect all the effort from the world." to overcome our endemic violence".

Álvaro Leyva is a politician of conservative origin.

He was a promoter of the peace agreement in Havana between the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC guerrillas;

he was Minister of Mines and Energy in the government of Belisario Betancourt (1982-1986).

He was also a presidential candidate for the Conservative Party in 2014.

Leyva will be key in Colombia's foreign relations that will take a turn with respect to the current government of Iván Duque, as Petro announced the normalization of bilateral relations with Venezuela, which had been broken for years. .

More appointments expected

After months of electoral campaign and two presidential rounds, Petro is carrying out the connection with the government of Iván Duque and is expected to make more announcements from his ministers in the coming days.

Meanwhile, local media report that both the president-elect and the vice president, Francia Márquez, will be on vacation before their presidential inauguration on August 7.

-- With information from Gerardo Lemos, Ana Cucalón and Melissa Velásquez from CNN en Español. 

Gustavo Petro