2023-05-11 07:01:00
Unlike the liberals and conservatives – who do not stop showing their teeth at Gustavo Petro for his controversial health reform – the Partido de La U has been de-escalating the confrontation, has taken the plunge to formalize a divorce and today it seems to continue in the fold The question that opposition and allied congressmen do not stop asking is the reason for this support, even when in the ministerial revolt the Government took away their representation and cabinet posts.
Although the director of the community, Dilian Francisca Toro, attributes it to the departure of Carolina Corcho and the arrival of Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo at the Ministry of Health, behind this moderation with a trace of reconciliation would be a strategic and very advantageous political agreement with with a view to the regional elections next October.
The pact, as sources consulted by EL COLOMBIANO acknowledged, consists of Toro lowering the decibels and not opposing the health reform in Congress in exchange for Petrism not putting up a tough competition for the Valle Governorate of the Cauca. This is the current senator Alexander López, a weighty Petrista who is preparing to replace Roy Barreras and assume as president of Congress in the last five weeks that the Historical Pact has left in that position.
And it is that when the political country assumed that the current congressmen were disqualified from aspiring to the territorial elections -because the law indicates that they must resign from their position one year before the elections-, in the Palace they dusted off a concept of Public Function that , in white silver, concludes that they have no disability.
The document – which dates from June 2022, that is, in the times of former President Iván Duque, which dispels any hint that it is tailor-made – indicates textually that “there is no disability” for a councilor, a deputy or, in this case, a congressman, aspire to be elected mayor or governor, considering that they do not exercise political, civil or administrative authority in the departments or municipalities.
In other words, although the disqualification applies to those who 1 year before the election have served, among others, as public employees or political authorities, in light of this concept, congressmen do not have those roles and have a free hand to participate. Of course, they must formalize their candidacy before the closing date for registration, in this case on July 29.
“The member of a popularly elected corporation who aspires to be elected to another public corporation would not incur disqualification, if he or she submits his resignation and it is duly accepted before the date of election for the new position or public corporation to which he aspires, as well the periods established by the Constitution and the Law coincide partially”, reads the concept of Public Function.
This document would then be the bargaining chip used by the Petro government to achieve new support from La U for its health reform. And although Dilian Francisca Toro has earned her nickname as “Baroness of the Valley” -and, in fact, the current governor (Clara Luz Roldán) is of her political rope-, she would not be willing to take risks in her electoral path, for which would have resolved to give up the bid.
In dialogue with this newspaper, Toro –which last week postponed the bench meeting to decide if they would remain a government party or migrate to independence–, confirmed that she has not yet decided if she will be a candidate, defending that in the “any democratic game can aspire” (referring to López’s eventual candidacy) and was emphatic in warning that he would not lend himself to an agreement of this caliber with the Casa de Nariño: “I would never do something like that,” he said.
The director of the U added that, in any case, “López should have resigned in December and the health reform was not even under discussion.” She finished with the fact that today she is focused on working “to strengthen the party.”
Along the same lines, the recently inaugurated Minister of the Interior, Luis Fernando Velasco, denied when consulted by this newspaper that the pact had been forged from the Palace: “No man, that is not true,” Velasco limited himself to saying, to whom Petro He entrusted him with the mission of trying to rebuild relations in Congress to ensure majorities for his reforms.
Who also spoke was Senator Alexander López, with Valluno roots, close to Vice President Francia Márquez and who in the 2018 elections, by open list, won 84,229 votes. The congressman said he was unaware of both the agreement and the concept of Public Function that would make his candidacy viable. Of course, he affirmed that if so he would not hesitate to aspire to the Governorate.
“In my case there is no agreement (…) no agreement will curtail our right to participate, in this personal case, the Governor’s Office. I would be delighted to go as a candidate for Governor, “explained López.
The congressman, today, seems to have the upper hand and if his arrival at the Presidency of Congress materializes, he would emerge strengthened and with projection to aspire to the Governorship. Even if his prediction comes true, he could leave the health reform approved in the first debate, which would represent revenues in Petrism.
The dilemma would then be for Petro: will he comply with Dilian Francisca and tackle López in order to save his health reform? Or will he gamble for a senator from the heart and support his candidacy, which would imply making himself an enemy? to Toro and put his reform tottering? The ball is in your court, President.
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