In Bogota, Colombian President Gustavo Petro denied reports that he asked his cabinet ministers to resign, despite three government sources confirming the request to Reuters and reporting in local media.
It is common for Colombian presidents to request mass, ‘protocol’ cabinet resignations in order to make changes to the government, but these are not guaranteed.
During a meeting on Wednesday evening, three government sources said Petro had indeed asked for the resignations of his ministers.
Petro, however, dismissed the reports, calling them a lie in a message on X, referring to a story about the request.
Agriculture Minister Jhenifer Mojica stated that ministers offered to resign, rather than the president demanding their resignations, during a presentation near the capital, Bogota.
“Regarding the resignations, it really was a general offer from the national government,” she said. “We must always be willing to do everything possible to fulfill the government’s program.”
While the director of the national planning department, Jorge Ivan Gonzalez, did submit a resignation letter, Finance Minister Ricardo Bonilla told journalists it was not connected to any mass resignation.
It was revealed that Petro last called for ministers’ resignations in April after a debate on a health reform was abandoned by the lower house of congress.
During the 2023 reshuffle, the president replaced former Finance Minister Jose Antonio Ocampo with Ricardo Bonilla, and also named new interior and health ministers.
(Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Luis Jaime Acosta; Additional reporting by Carlos Vargas; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Sandra Maler)
