“Is he promoting the revolution from the balcony?“, after the president Bogota magazine asked Semana Gustavo Petro decided to speed up the terms of his administration. This new speed has been interpreted as: end of moderation and the beginning of a road that slopes more to the left. The Colombian employers’ association, called the National Trade Union Council, asked the president to respect the balance of power. The Conservative party announced its withdrawal from the governing coalition. And more surprises await.
“I wonder if it’s time for workers to decideNot only do they protest like every May 1, but obviously rule by majority,” said Petro, adding that warnings of doomsday began to multiply before he set off for Spain. The suffix “azo” increased the sense of danger. These “hours”balcony‘ and ‘timonazo’ to describe the announced change from the point of view of Palacio Nariño, the center of the Executive. “So what’s left, the National Accord?“, influential analyst María Jimena Duzán wanted to know after the alliance of parties that had been in power since August split in two and the political center served as a kind of programmatic counterweight.
“No change can be introduced in a society without popular support. These changes cannot be imposed, and the call for the people to be in the streets and squares is not a call for violence, but the opposite,” said Petro, whose statements made headlines as soon as he landed in Madrid.
More than a semantic issue
What’s at stake for these watches the meaning of the word “change” is the same in a country where 40% of its population lives in poverty. During the 2022 election, Petro and his second-round rival were at the mouth of businessman Rodolfo Hernández and other rivals. The sense of “change” was different for each candidate, and this has been confirmed ever since the president called to fulfill that desire, which was reflected in the “popular nomination”.
The comments of the May 1 speech were once again filled with ancient menacing ghosts. I do not know anything Colombia historically polarizedwhere the conservative narrative has cultural roots beyond the elite. “Despot’s WrathIn a column in the newspaper El Espectador, cartoonist Lorenzo Madrigal commented on the presidential transition that took place when seven of his 19 ministers, all of whom belonged to the interim moderate wing, left the cabinet. The allies found resistance in liberalism and the U-party to accompany their strategic reforms.
Risks on the horizon
“I know I’m walking on the edge of a razor with this decisionAccording to Cambio magazine, Petro was heard saying “but that hasn’t been the case in my life” after the internal reorganization. For the La Silla portal empty, the crisis of the ministry is a “turning point”. The “peace” that the President displayed in the first months of his office was “exhausted”. The leadership once again became “impatient” and decided to “deep in” as he had done in his days of leadership. capital city hall when he “proves to be a courageous leader” and “with the ability to bring new topics to the agenda”.
The president wants to move forward with health, labor and development program reforms. also with “complete peace” includes riots, far-right groups and drug trafficking. In fact, a new round of Guevarian talks began this Tuesday in Havana between the government and the ELN rebellion. And also, he wants to be a vital link in the complex process. Negotiations between Madurismo and the Venezuelan opposition. Petro, as he has made clear on agriculture, does not want to take any more unnecessary breaks. The state they complained about was barely able to buy about 17,000 hectares of fertile land and “a privileged industry“.
Sergio Guzmán of Colombia Risk firm, He thinks that Petro has a hard time understanding the internal dynamics of politics.Like giving up or giving up on certain intentions that caused him to hit the same stone from his years as mayor between 2012 and 2015. official channels, but this is not a blank check,” Guzmán reminded the magazine. To change.
differences and similarities
Having gathered the support of the public by almost 50 percent, Petro differed from other experiences of the left in the region due to his understanding of democracy and the centrality he had in his political horizon. climate problem. But it also differs from what is happening in neighboring countries such as Venezuela and Ecuador, or from the examples of Bolivia and Kirchnerist Argentina, where power relations do not allow themselves to progress: have to negotiate with other parties. While he had not yet completed a year in government, the politics of the treaties proved insufficient for him. For the former M-19 guerrilla, reforms need to be won in the public sphere to influence Congress. The months of relative political friendship in Colombia seems to be coming to an end.