Gustavo Petro makes his debut with his majority in the new Congress of Colombia

President-elect Gustavo Petro has managed to turn the page and get a majority in the new Congress who took office this Wednesday and will be the key to carrying out his ambitious reforms, showing that in Colombia even the first center-left government in its history begins its mandate with parliamentary support, as is customary for the rulers of the day.

The Congress is bicameral, has 108 senators and 187 representatives in the Chamber, but unlike the previous one it will have for the first time 16 seats for the victims of the armed conflict, an unprecedented representation of the left and almost 30% of the seats occupied by women.

The recomposition of the political forces in the country took place in the recent elections, in March the legislative elections were held and in June the ballot that gave Petro the victory to the presidency, replacing the current conservative president Iván Duque who cedes power on the 7th. August.

Analysts predicted complicated governability for Petro. Although he won 20 seats in the Senate with his Historical Pact movement, managing to be the largest bank, and 29 in the lower house, it needed the political support of the center and the right to form majorities.

With agreements he managed to have a seat of 68 members in the Senate and 114 among the representatives (deputies).

scene objects

Petro generated resistance during the political campaign in a sector of the population that distrusted his past as a rebel, he was a militant of the extinct M-19 guerrilla, in a country that has experienced decades of armed conflict with leftist guerrillas. Furthermore, he challenged the institution as well proposals for structural reforms on pensions, taxes for the richer strata, land ownership and the extractivist model.

However, with political agreements he managed to get the most powerful benches on his side and many of the traditional parties that did not support him in the campaign, such as the liberal party, led by former president César Gaviria, and part of the conservative party, with political views far from progressivism and the left.

Now they join the Green party, the Alianza Social Independiente y Comunes, the party formed by the former fighters of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who laid down their arms in 2016.

Other center-right parties have not yet defined whether they will join Petro’s coalition.

Political analyst Johan Caldas, of the Universidad de la Sabana, told the Associated Press that both “political agreements to carry out initiatives, both the distribution of burdens ended up forming majority coalitions. ” However, he will have the challenge of maintaining them throughout his rule.

Despite being a left-wing government, Petro has made space in the ministerial cabinet for more political currents and even the advice will be different in Congress and will include those who recently joined the coalition.

“It is absolutely natural for the ruling parties to govern, as in all democracies,” Senator Roy Barreras told the PA. refusing that it is political patronage. Barreras is close to Petro and will be president of the Senate according to the political agreements reached by the parties.

“National agreement”

For Barreras, the majorities were reached by Petro’s invitation to reach a “national agreement” establish a dialogue with broad social, political and economic sectors.

In opposition were the Christian parties and the Democratic Centerconservative in nature led by former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez (2002-2010), a staunch political opponent of Petro.

“We are surprised because there are parties ideologically linked to what Petro stands for and now we see them as allies,” Jose Jaime Uzcátegui, a representative of the Democratic Center, told the AP, asking the new government to “Respect the rights of the opposition”.

“We will protect tooth and nail the Constitution, the status of the opposition and the interests of the security forces, which we consider seriously threatened by this government,” added Uzcátegui.

Although Colombia is a presidential country, says analyst Caldas, its power is not absolute and “it is limited not only by the law, but also by pressure from political parties and institutions ”.

reforms

Petro proposed to reform the police, currently under the command of the Ministry of Defense, relocating it to the Ministry of the Interior or of Justice. In addition to ending the riot police who usually intervene in social protests.

However, Barreras said the priority of the legislative agenda will focus on tax reform of more than $ 10.9 billion seeking resources to fund broad social programs that he promised his constituency such as free university education, an “urgent plan in the first 100 days of government against hunger and food subsidies.”

The people most affected by the tax reform will be the people with the highest incomes. According to the new finance minister, José Antonio Ocampo, in an interview with the AP, will be “the richest 1%”‘, that is, those who have a monthly income of more than 10 million pesos ($ 2,100) with income tax.

He also insured it will return the wealth tax only for individuals and tax breaks will be reduced for some sectors.

“There will be great resistance from the privileged economic, financial and banking sectors and from the landowners of unproductive land, which they will have a great lobbying capacity to try to prevent the social reforms that the Petro government is about to implement, ” said Barreras, who proposed to lead a swift process for a tough reform that touches the pockets amid rising inflation.

In parallel, Petrism aims to promote comprehensive rural reform which gives priority to food sovereignty and aid to farmers, a political reform against corruption, police reform and the creation of the Ministry of Equality, which will be headed by Vice President France Márquez, the first Afro descendant to hold the office.

But above all, the new Congress has the challenge of improving a declining image in front of the citizenry. According to the Invamer survey, carried out periodically since 2000, the unfavorable opinion of Congress has increased since 2010.

In the last measurement, carried out between 30 June and 10 July with 1,200 surveys, Congress has an unfavorable image of 73%.against a favorable opinion of 19%.

Jeison Gómez, a Bogotá taxi driver, considers it unfair for members of Congress to earn a millionaire salary of about $ 7,800 monthly, while he works more than 12 hours a day as a hauler, he only earns about $ 465 a month for his family of four.

A group of congressmen from governing parties will present a reform to Congress in the coming days which will include a reduction in salary, will limit the re-election of deputies to no more than three periods, will reduce holidays and absences. Similar projects have failed in the past.

“Anyone who has wants to have more,” Gomez told the AP. “They won’t approve of lowering wages, because they make the laws themselves.”

AP Agency

PB