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Petro denounces a soft coup for the decisions of justice against his movement

2023-05-29T20:41:14.105Z

Highlights: The president questions the judicial decisions and again insists that the powers of the State resist change. Petro observes movements in the deep state, the operation of covert power groups, which do not allow the change that was proposed when he came to power to advance. The president has now decided to give battle against his opponents, with the aim of encouraging his own to defend the Government. "If the changes happen, it will be because the people want. Not one meter more, not one meter less," he says.


The president questions the judicial decisions and again insists that the powers of the State resist change


Although two weeks ago he denounced a possible conspiracy by the military to overthrow him, Gustavo Petro now maintains that a soft coup is being carried out that affects his formation in Congress, the Historic Pact. Petro thus questions the decision of the Council of State to annul the election of one of the key men to carry out his reforms, Roy Barreras, for double militancy, and the possible suspension of several more congressmen that weakens his position in the Chamber. Petro observes movements in the deep state, the operation of covert power groups, which do not allow the change that was proposed when he came to power to advance.

"By the way, have you noticed that they are taking away the votes of the congressmen of the Historic Pact by suspending them with administrative orders? That is, they are de facto changing the political representation in Congress that the people elected. They took away from the Pact the presidency of Congress and now its votes. It's the soft coup," Petro wrote on Twitter. Some allied congressmen such as Representative María Fernanda Carrascal showed their support. Ten days ago, Senator Piedad Córdoba already used the term to refer to the constant obstacles that the president encounters.

In addition to the annulment of Barreras' election, the Council of State – the highest court of public administration – last week overturned the appointment of Comptroller Carlos Hernández Rodríguez due to procedural defects in Congress. These decisions cannot be overturned. It also happens to others who are in the crosshairs of justice, such as David Racero, María José Pizarro and Wilson Arias for the same reason as Barreras, the double militancy. Pizarro has an important role in the Petro government, is one of the main negotiators at the table with the ELN, and Racero is president of the Chamber, a very active ally of change. In their place come the next ones on the lists, but these have much less political weight.

The opposition reacted immediately. He again accused Petro of not respecting the separation of powers. Paloma Valencia, a senator from Uribe's Democratic Center, said on social media: "It is very serious that the president says that the Council of State is giving him a 'soft coup' for making decisions according to the law." "The president forgets his inauguration speech when he posed as a statesman and indicated that he would respect the division of powers and the opposition. Neither the first nor the second has been done," added Senator David Luna, of the opposition Radical Change.

Petro is convinced that there is a lot of resistance to his government from many sectors. The change, he has explained several times, is going to be more difficult than he thought. He believes that even those resistances were within his own cabinet, when he appointed several ministers who came from other political sensibilities. It was the case of Alejandro Gaviria, an education minister who spent a lot of time criticizing the health reform promoted by another colleague, or the prestigious economist José Antonio Ocampo, who wanted to curb the social spending demanded by his colleagues and the president himself.

The president has now decided to give battle against his opponents, with the aim of encouraging his own to defend the Government: "If the changes happen, it will be because the people want. As far as the people want. Not one meter more, not one meter less. As far as the people want."

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2023-05-29

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