The government of the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, has taken a new step to promote a national Constituent Assembly in Colombia by registering in the National Register a Promotion Committee that seeks to reactivate the initiative under the guise of a popular initiative.
This maneuver is presented in a scenario characterized by frustration with the progress made in the social reforms proposed by the executive in the Congress of the Republic, and responds to the official diagnosis of an “institutional deadlock and legislative omissions” which, according to the founding document, limited the guarantee of fundamental rights and deteriorated the trust of citizens.
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In the initial phase of the process, the national government officially registered the nine-member committee led by Labor Minister Antonio Sanguino. The official explained that by resorting to this mechanism, the executive wants to achieve results that were not possible through traditional legislative channels, in a context where only eight months remain for the presidential transition in the Casa de Nariño. According to analysts quoted by The ColombianThis process faces serious questions about its viability.
The full text of the project to which the above-mentioned media had access, Details on the basics of appealing to a voter. Among the government’s key initiatives is changing the economic model and eliminating the autonomy of the Bank of the Republic, an institution whose independence the president has persistently questioned.
“Colombia needs a new economic model that, without ignoring the formal private mixed and productive economy, with the creation of special zones in which the state has the greatest participation in production and profit distribution, promotes the national, associative, cooperative and solidarity economy.” Likewise, it is necessary to review and adjust the functioning of the Bank of the Republic, to transform and save public banking and monetary policies, hand in hand with a nationwide program for the productive development of the population to create massive employment and the prohibition of labor outsourcing. Finally, the state must maintain control over the strategic sectors of the economy.”
The proposal aims to establish an autonomous Constitutional Court to replace the current Constitutional Court. This reflects themes repeated in Petro’s speeches since the start of his term and represents part of the structural changes the executive branch is driving.
“Similarly, it has been proposed to strengthen constitutional jurisdiction, perhaps through an autonomous Constitutional Court with increased powers to correct structural legislative failures in the terms set by the constituent power. Impose graduated penalties and order public action in the event of massive violations of the law. “Such innovations aim to ensure that the judiciary ceases to be an instrument of political retaliation or covert impunity, but becomes a pillar of peace and effective protection of civil rights.”
The text also meticulously breaks down the reasons that, in the Committee’s view, would justify convening a Constituent Assembly by popular vote. Although this first step gives the proposal a new formal dimension, the start of the parliamentary process has not yet been completed, so the initiative is still in its infancy and awaits its development on the national political stage.
President Gustavo Petro categorically rejected the allegations of alleged intentions to remain in power and reiterated his rejection of an authoritarian regime amid the controversy sparked by the registration of the Constituent Assembly’s Promotion Committee before the registry office, questioned by presidential candidate Juan Daniel Oviedo.
“I will not be a dictator. Don’t insult me, and there will be no Constituent Assembly in my government,” Petro saidHe emphasized that his project was about deep reforms of the system and not about the concentration of power.
In his speech, the president compared his management to that of previous administrations. “You led the Duque government, and the Duque government is, with Uribes, one of the biggest critics of the social rule of law of the 1991 Constitution. There are scenes with thousands of missing people, thousands of murdered and imprisoned young people as a reminder. What were you doing as a member of Duque’s government while the young people of the outbreak were being murdered?” Petro questioned.
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