Colombia's Petro orders cabinet shake-up amid rising govt tensions

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Feb 2025 08:08

By Sunday night, three ministers and two senior officials had stepped down following a televised meeting.

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Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, center, arrives at a ceremony marking the 133rd anniversary of the Colombian National Police, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, November 1, 2024. (AP)

Colombian President Gustavo Petro called Sunday for the resignation of his ministers and other senior officials amid escalating tensions within his government, just days after publicly rebuking his team on live television.

The move followed a five-hour televised meeting on Tuesday, during which Petro criticized his cabinet's performance, accusing several ministers—particularly those responsible for trade, education, and health—of failing to deliver key projects.

"I have requested the resignation of ministers and directors of administrative departments," Petro announced on social media platform X, adding, "There will be some changes in the cabinet to achieve greater compliance with the program ordered by the people."

By Sunday night, three ministers and two senior officials had stepped down following the meeting. Among them was Labor Minister Gloria Ramirez, who announced her resignation on X shortly after Petro's statement, emphasizing that "politics must proceed without sectarianism and without ambiguities."

Earlier, Environment Minister Susana Muhamad had become the second cabinet member in a week to resign in the aftermath of the meeting.

Several ministers voiced concerns over the presence of Armando Benedetti—one of Petro’s closest aides—at the meeting. Benedetti is under investigation for alleged illegal campaign financing during Petro’s 2022 election and has also been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife.

Ministers also expressed disapproval of Petro’s decision to appoint Laura Sarabia as foreign minister. Sarabia, his former chief of staff, has been embroiled in a major corruption scandal and implicated in an alleged illegal wiretapping case involving her nanny. Her appointment came at a critical moment, as Petro engaged in a diplomatic standoff with US President Donald Trump over migrant deportation flights.

The political turmoil deepened as, the day after the cabinet meeting, Culture Minister Juan David Correa and Jorge Rojas, head of the state agency DAPRE—which manages substantial government funds—also resigned.

Muhamad, who had earned praise from Petro during the meeting, had hosted the UN COP16 biodiversity conference in Cali last year and was widely regarded as a competent figure in his often-turbulent left-wing administration. In an interview with the online channel Los Danieles, she described her resignation as a "difficult" decision and cited Benedetti’s influence over state affairs as a key factor.

Considered a rising star in Petro’s government, Muhamad had been seen as a potential successor to the president—Colombia’s first-ever leftist leader—when his term ends in 2026.

The cabinet reshuffle comes just weeks after some ministers, including Sarabia and those overseeing finance, information, and transport, had taken office.