Thousands of people on Tuesday protested in Colombia’s capital, Bogota, and other cities against reforms by Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Since taking office in August last year, Petro has submitted several reform projects to parliament to reduce private participation in the healthcare system, redistribute unproductive land, and reform labor and pension regulations, but he has since lost his majority backing in the legislature, tying his hands in reform efforts.
The 63-year-old leader has also opened negotiations with armed groups in the quest for a “total peace” after decades of violence and has vowed to lead the country to a greener future.
Photo: Reuters
Called by opposition parties under the banner “March of the majority,” protesters gathered in cities including Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Barranquilla.
Many waved Colombia’s yellow, blue and red flag, and held posters with such messages as: “No to ending up like Cuba or Venezuela.”
The mobilization seemed particularly large in Medellin, images broadcast by national media showed.
Police estimated the national turnout at 92,000, including 30,000 in the capital, where protesters marched to Bolivar Square near the presidency and parliament, shouting slogans denouncing Petro and his plans.
Among them, former Colombian minister of defense Diego Molano accused the Petro administration of “weakening institutions” while pointing to what he said was an increase in violence “while the guerrillas get stronger” under the peace process.
“They [the government] are going to destroy pensions and healthcare,” Colombian Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal said at a demonstration in Cali.
On the campaign trail, Petro had vowed to address deep social inequality, but in a country marked by a deep-rooted fear of the political left — associated with guerrilla groups that sowed decades of misery — the pushback was fierce, with rivals seeking to paint him as a radical, Hugo Chavez-style populist.
Petro, a former guerilla himself, “has improvised a lot and instead of wanting to improve what works, he wants to do away with everything that already existed,” Gloria Huertas, 59, told reporters in Bogota.
The president has also been caught up in a scandal involving a former aide’s alleged illegal wiretapping of a nanny suspected of stealing a briefcase full of money.
Petro’s popularity has plummeted from about 50 percent in November last year to 34 percent last month, the latest Invamer poll showed.
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