The main labor confederations in Colombia announced a day of mobilization for next Wednesday, October 23, with the aim of defending the social reforms promoted by the government of Gustavo Petro.
The mobilization also seeks to express its rejection of the investigation carried out by the National Electoral Council (CNE) on the president’s presidential campaign. The protest will be led by the National Unitary Command, which brings together the largest union organizations in the country, such as the CUT, the CGT, and the pensioner confederations CPC and CDP.
The unions have declared a state of alert after the CNE announced that it will investigate Petro’s campaign for alleged violation of electoral limits in the 2022 elections. According to the labor confederations, this investigation is a maneuver by the extreme right to destabilize the government and stop the implementation of its social policies. “Against the sabotage of the implementation of the teachers’ health model, we will hold a National Mobilization Day on October 23,” Fecode said in a statement, also announcing a vigil in the National Park in Bogotá.
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The mobilizations will take place in several cities in the country, and a high participation of labor and social sectors is expected, who have shown their support for President Petro and the structural reforms that he promotes in health, education and pensions.
Opposition reaction
For its part, the opposition, led by the Democratic Center party, has called for a mobilization for November 17. Under the slogan of “respect for institutions and democracy”, figures such as councilors of Medellín and the influencer Jaime Arizabaleta invited their followers to demonstrate against the Petro government, pointing out that his management represents a threat to the country’s institutions.
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