Bogota, Columbia (APP) Colombia President Gustao Petro said Tuesday that he would demand a special election in which voters would be able to approve or reject labor reforms and health reforms, which have been in Congress for months.
In a national television speech at the national level, Petro rejects the Colombian Senate of “making fun of” the country’s labor laws and its efforts to reform its health system, “making fun of” the country’s “mockery”.
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With dozens of workers and government -backed politicians, Petro called on his supporters to mobilize in favor of his government’s reform.
“We have sought a path in our constitution that will enable people to make decisions without compassion,” said Petro. “Now people have to decide whether they want to be a slave, or if they want to be free and respectful.”
A Petro’s proposal has surfaced just hours after a group of eight senators issued a statement saying they would reject the president’s health reforms in a major vote of the committee.
The Colombian president has often struggled to legislate through the Congress of the nation, where his party lacks the majority seats.
During his presidential campaign in 2022, Petro promised that he would eliminate insurance companies and change the Colombian health system that handles social security payments and in charge of the management of these funds to a government agency.
Petro has accused insurance companies of making false statements of millions of dollars. But their health reforms have been rejected by the MPs several times, saying that it will give government bureaucrats a lot of power and have said that the government is not capable of managing millions of patients.
Petro, a leftist who has long been advocating for government intervention in the economy, has also struggled to seek his labor reforms through Congress. It has proposed a salary increase for night workers, and companies have made it difficult to hire workers on short -term contracts.
The special election that the President has called for is known as “popular consultation” in the Colombian legislation. To perform, it should be approved by the majority of the Colombian Senate. In consultation, the voters should be presented with questions that have no answer. At least all registered voters should take part in consultation to implement the results.
