Gustavo Petro, with his hands clasped, calm, sitting on a sofa and in front of a radio microphone, said more than a month ago something that strained his cabinet: he planned to reshuffle the government, it was time for some to leave and for others to arrive with more energy. He felt, as he said, that a few ministers had tried to collaborate with his cause, which is none other than change, but had not achieved their goal. The next day, in the corridors of the ministerial buildings, faces of concern, if not outright fear, could be seen. The work of many advisors, lawyers, press chiefs, depends on the minister on duty. Each one arrives with his own team. Weeks of tension and tension followed. At any moment, a phone could ring and on the other end of the line there could be Laura Sarabia, the number two of Petro, announcing the dismissal.
Based on previous experiences, many expected the president to stand in front of a lectern in a room at the Casa de Nariño and recite the outgoing and incoming ministers. Suddenly, from one moment to the next. That day could have been a Monday, after the weekly meeting with his ministers, but, why not, a Tuesday, or a Wednesday, even a Thursday or a Friday. No one could know. Journalists also lived with this anxiety and called here and there to find out something. That moment has not arrived, although that has not stopped the government reshuffle. According to sources close to the president, a calm and measured change has been chosen, far from the rush and shock situations. In the Palace, filled at this time with rumors and betrayals, they are now looking for tranquility near the halfway point of the mandate.
The ministers’ departures have occurred little by little, leaving gaps of several days between each dismissal. The president has announced them on Twitter and then the official announcements have been made and distributed. One crisis has been experienced at a time and they have been allowed to leave before entering. The work has not accumulated suddenly and there has been a great crisis. Petro is now making a smooth transition in a government that has tended towards agitation. He has made changes in Justice, Interior, Transport and Agriculture, and other media take it for granted that there will be another name in Housing.
The Cabinet is made up of 10 women and nine men. They know full well that their position is not assured. Since coming to power, he has named 39 ministers. Key portfolios such as the Interior, which is responsible for negotiating with congressmen and forging alliances with other parties, have already had three names. Now Juan Fernando Cristo has taken up this post, a consensus politician from Juan Manuel Santos’ entourage who serves as a glue with the more centrist sectors of the left. Cristo, however, did not hide the fact that he has the task of promoting a Constituent Assembly, although it will be attempted to be achieved through a national agreement. Petro’s speech was about this understanding with other forces. Now he takes it up again with the addition that this agreement is the guide to fulfill what he wants, a reform of the Constitution that was signed in 1991. In any case, the matter is not at all clear. Sometimes the president explains what he intends to do without much clarity, which increases the confusion.
In any case, the fact of appointing Cristo to such an important position is something of a declaration of intentions. Santos has already made a video in which he reiterates that the Constituent Assembly is not necessary to achieve what Petro wants, such as implementing the 2016 peace agreement, among other issues. That does not mean that Cristo softens Petro’s more warlike face, who months ago spoke of implementing the changes through the “popular” way, with how ambiguous that is. It seems that Cristo comes to provide method, structure and a roadmap to this presidential claim. It fits with this more leisurely approach to the execution of the Government: one minister enters, another leaves. One at a time. No big announcements, tsunamis that make the entire Executive tremble. Petro has the feeling that there is still a lot to do and that these will be the ministers with whom he will play from now until the end. This sounds risky after the continuous ministerial movements and it remains to be seen, but the intention is that: to seek stability. Petro and Sarabia want to impose it in Casa de Nariño.
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