President of Colombia proposes debate of a constituent assembly
Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia, made an unexpected proposal on March 15 in Cali for the debate of a Constituent Assembly in the face of the obstacles he has encountered for Congress to approve his reforms
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, launched a proposal for debate on a National Constituent Assembly in view of the obstacles he has encountered in Congress regarding the approval of his reforms.
This Saturday, March 16, the international media reviewed the proposal made by Petro on Friday the 15th in Cali, regarding the possibility of convening a National Constituent Assembly.
The idea, which the president published on his social network account, “has been criticized by politicians of all currents, including some who supported him in the 2022 presidential elections.”
Numerous national sectors have described the proposal as a “balloon of distraction” in the face of the decline in popularity and legislative support for Petro, who, according to former left-wing senator Jorge Robledo, is looking for a distraction, since “he does not have enough votes to approve it in Congress or to approve it among the citizens.”
As a sign of weakness and desperation, Robledo has described the president’s proposal, which has definitely not been well received by the different sectors of Colombian society.
Regarding the proposal, Senator Humberto de la Calle, member of the Centro Esperanza Coalition, described Petro’s argument as “weak” and added: “The reason that the president alleges for convening a constituent assembly is the impossibility of complying with the Constitution, according to his own saying (…) If it were true, it is not the Constitution that must be changed but the way of governing,” the congressman added in a statement.
De la Calle clarified that a Constituent Assembly requires the prior passage of a bill that must pass through Congress, where Petro does not have a majority. In addition, two calls to the population are required: first for them to say whether they want a constitutional reform and, if so, for them to approve any possible changes.
M.Pino
Source: swissinfo
(Reference image source: Unsplash+, in collaboration with Getty Images)
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