A social turning point is materializing in Colombia.
The congress adopted, last Tuesday, by a large majority, the budget for 2023 of the new left-wing president, Gustavo Petro.
At the helm since early August, he has promised radical changes in his country plagued by deep inequalities and severe poverty which affects 39% of the population.
Commentators have called the budget, which hits $85 billion, an
"all-time high."
"It's an important victory for the government,"
welcomed the Minister of Finance, José Antonio Ocampo.
It provides for a 15% increase in social spending, focused on health (+10%), education (+19.8%) and agriculture (+62.6%).
It will also be used to finance the peace program following the agreement between the State and the Farc guerrillas.
And, in the context of sustained price increases - + 10.8% over one year in August -, a share will go to the revaluation of public wages, indexed to inflation.
Enough to weigh down already deteriorated public finances…
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