Colombians take to the streets to defend Gustavo Petro’s mandate

Thousands of Colombians took to the streets this Thursday (19) to defend the reforms proposed by the government of President Gustavo Petro. During the demonstration, the president defended the improvement of pension conditions and the reduction of the retirement age.

The demonstrations are a show of strength by the government, which has positioned itself against the investigations into Petro’s term in office. The demonstrations were organized by political parties that make up the ruling Pacto Histórico coalition, as well as unions and popular movements.

“I think humanity should think that instead of increasing the retirement age, what the world should be discussing is how to reduce the retirement age. This crap put in our heads makes us think that the life of a human being is to work, work and work. What a huge mistake,” he said.

The demonstrations were concentrated in the capital, Bogotá, but were also held in Cali, Manizales and Medellín.

Petro proposes three reforms to restructure the Colombian state. The first is a reform of the pension system. The bill determines that all citizens must contribute to a public fund in an amount proportional to three minimum wages. Above this amount, the contribution must be made to a private fund. The idea is to free up public resources to help elderly people without retirement benefits.

The government is also seeking to implement tax reform, with the aim of reducing fiscal rules for public spending. In practice, this is a way for the government to have greater flexibility to make investments, without tying spending to economic growth. The government is also proposing to increase income tax for those who earn more than US$4 million (R$21 million) per year.

The third proposal is to transform health into a fundamental right and determine that the State is responsible for the health system in a universal manner. With this, the so-called Health Promoting Companies (EPS) lose their importance in the provision of the service. These tools are a way of granting the management of hospitals and health units that would be public.

The marches were organized amid new allegations by the leader of a coup d’état against him. This time, the case involves the investigation by the National Electoral Council (CNE) into the financing of his 2022 presidential campaign. The investigation claims that Petro would have exceeded the spending limit for the presidential race by more than 5.3 billion pesos (approximately R$7 million).

According to Petro, the marches also show support for the government at a time of tension involving judicial persecution.

“We are not going to defend just the right to a pension. We have not only come to that, but we have come to defend all the rights and freedoms of the Colombian people, and one of those freedoms is that the people voted for the president and defeated the Colombian oligarchy for the first time, ordering a change in favor of the people, and that order is not disobeyed,” he said.