The Senator for Radical Change, Carlos Fernando Motoa, officially called on the President of the Congress, Lidio García, to urgently convene a plenary session of the Senate to exercise political control over the state of economic emergency decreed by President Gustavo Petro by Decree 1390 of December 22, 2025.
According to the congressman The government’s decision is not only inconvenient, it also violates the principle of separation of powers and ignores the will of the people represented in the legislature.
You can now continue following us Facebook and in ours WhatsApp channel
In a letter to the Presidency of the Congress, Motoa argued that under Articles 135 and 138 of the Political Constitution, political control could be exercised at any time, including during legislative recess.
For this reason, he insisted that it was “essential” to convene the Senate to consider the relevance and advisability of declaring an economic emergency, a measure he described as unprecedented and of great impact on the stability of the country.
“Congress cannot stand idly by in the face of a decision that threatens the nation’s economic direction. Citizens have the right to know the true motivations behind this action, which will not resolve the state’s structural liquidity problems,” the senator said in the letter.
Conceptually, the emergency does not suggest a serious plan to cut operating expenses, but rather opens the door to new tax increases, an expansion of the tax base and greater collection pressure.
Motoa reiterated his position with a video broadcast on social networks in which he accused the government of blatantly ignoring Congress’ decision and violating the separation of powers.
“Today they bring us news that will make Christmas bitter for Colombians: a new tax reform disguised in the economic emergency,” he explained.
In addition, he announced that his group would take legal action against the decree, including a lawsuit alleging unconstitutionality and a request for a temporary suspension.
The declaration of economic emergency was signed by President Petro arguing that by 2026 there would be a budget gap estimated at 16.3 trillion pesos, resources that the executive branch said were necessary to ensure essential payments from the state.
The decree is protected by Article 215 of the Constitution, which authorizes the government to make temporary laws in situations of serious, unforeseen and imminent events that threaten the economic and social order.
Finance Minister Germán Ávila defended the measure by warning that the lack of resources endangers sensitive sectors such as health, energy subsidies and other social obligations, adding as a pressure factor the recent deterioration in public security caused by the use of drones in criminal activities.
For the government, these elements represent an exceptional scenario that justifies the declaration.
However, the criticism was not limited to the political opposition.
The National Trade Council, which includes more than thirty business associations, recalled that the budget problems had already been announced during the 2024 and 2025 budget discussions, which is why it questioned the unpredictability of the situation.
In his statement, he warned that misuse of the emergency number could have damaging effects on the economy and the institutional order.
From a technical point of view, Luis Fernando Mejía, director of Fedesarrollo, pointed out that the 16 billion pesos that the government wants to collect represents less than 3% of the budget planned for 2026, a magnitude that, in his opinion, does not pose an immediate threat to the economic and social order.
A similar position was taken by former Finance Minister José Manuel Restrepo, who stated that the government “creates an economic emergency and then enacts it” and describes the law as technically weak.
Other productive sectors also expressed objections. Camacol warned of the risks to legal certainty and investor confidence, while Bruce Mac Master, president of Andi, emphasized that the national debt increased from 804 billion pesos in 2022 to over 1,180 billion pesos in 2025, an increase of almost 46%, which calls into question the real impact of borrowing 16 billion pesos compared to the size of the debt.
About The Author
