President of Colombia Defends Relevance of Constitutional Reform

According to statements made by the head of state on his social media account X, with the Congress elected by the people in 2022, it is not possible to achieve the changes that Colombian society currently requires.

While he acknowledged that Congress approved both labor and pension reforms, he argued that its “clientelist form of election” limits its capacity to take on broader democratic challenges.

The president further explained that the legislature blocked the health reform amid the financial crisis facing the Health Promotion Companies (EPS). At the same time, the Senate chose a magistrate for the Constitutional Court “who will help undo what the House of Representatives achieved” with the pension reform, referring to the recent appointment of conservative Carlos Camargo.

He noted that the way a magistrate is elected—“which produces a trail of clientelism in their final years in order to reach that position”—demonstrates the necessity not only of social reforms but also of a transformation of the justice system.

“That is why a constituent reform is needed,” the president declared.

He stressed that, despite the progress already made, Colombia must advance further in building a true social state governed by the rule of law.

“For Colombia, a constitutional reform on several issues is of absolute relevance: social reforms, adaptation to climate change, the guarantee of people’s rights, and reform of the justice system so that impunity ceases and truth and the restoration of victims prevail,” Petro emphasized.

He went on to explain that such a constituent process depends both on citizens’ signatures and on the new Congress to be elected in March of next year.

He therefore expressed his hope that the list of candidates proposed for that body will be “pro-constituent and will make the people’s mandate, reflected in their signatures, a reality.”