International

Colombia: Petro announces departure of three ministers, including one critical of healthcare reform

Photo: Presidency of the Republic of Colombia

February 28 |

The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, announced on Monday night the departure of three of his ministers, including Alejandro Gaviria, former head of the education portfolio, one of the strongest critics of the proposed health reform, which has generated controversy within and outside the administration.

During a speech from the Casa de Nariño, the President also announced the departure of the Minister of Sports, María Isabel Urrutia, and the Minister of Culture, Patricia Ariza.

“I thank the services rendered by Ministers Alejandro Gaviria, María Isabel Urrutia and Patricia Ariza, with their contributions they have contributed to enrich the debate and to initiate the changes for which the country voted. And I invite them to help us build this social pact from wherever they are”, said the President.

Ariza and Urrutia told local media that they were not notified by the president of their departure before the public announcement. According to Caracol Noticias, Gaviria was summoned by Petro in the afternoon to ask for his resignation.

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Aurora Vergara will replace Gaviria and Astrid Rodríguez will be in charge of the Sports portfolio, so that “with new energies” they can “culminate the process of reforms initiated”, stated the president.

The announcements are made in the framework of a health reform project that Petro’s government is working on and which was submitted to Congress by Minister Carolina Corcho in mid-February.

“This government of change will not give up on reforms to improve health, pensions and fair working conditions for all Colombians,” said the head of state during his speech.

“We will continue to seek consensus and agreements to consolidate and deepen our reforms. My cabinet and I, as President of the Republic, remain committed to achieve not only reforms, but reforms that substantially improve the lives of all Colombians”, he added.

On Monday morning, the Colombian president had confirmed the authenticity of a document presented by three ministers -among them, Gaviria-, with objections to the health reform and which, according to the leader of the left, “was discussed for hours and days”, by himself and “by the technical teams that were appointed for that purpose”.

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The fiscal impact, the need for a prior consultation, which will have to be debated as a statutory law – not as an ordinary law, as it is currently being processed – and the maintenance of a mixed health system with the participation of the Health Promoting Entities are the main concerns expressed by the ministers in the letter.

International

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“The world must react. So far, there has been no strong response,” Zelenski lamented in a social media statement.

“We must act. We must pressure. We must push Russia towards real peace, which is only achievable through strength,” he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Thursday that Russia had launched a new type of hypersonic ballistic missile against Ukraine in its “non-nuclear configuration.”

International

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The billionaire entrepreneur plans to target hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending, including funds for public broadcasting and Planned Parenthood. Musk called government bureaucracy an “existential threat” to American democracy.

Teaming up with fellow businessman and Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk aims to streamline federal regulations and implement significant administrative and cost reductions.

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International

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These remarks come after a day of heightened tensions, during which Russia launched a state-of-the-art medium-range missile designed to carry a nuclear warhead. However, this particular missile was loaded with conventional explosives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the missile strike, calling it the action of a “deranged neighbor” using Ukraine as a “military testing ground.”

Earlier, Ukraine accused Russia of attacking the central-eastern city of Dnipro with a missile exhibiting “all the characteristics” of an intercontinental missile, an unprecedented development in the ongoing conflict.