The president-elect, Gustavo Petro, plans to reveal this Saturday the names of the 10 ministers who still have yet to be appointed -among which are key portfolios such as the Interior and Justice-, a process that was hindered by the political and bureaucratic bid they have the traditional parties that ended up joining the official coalition.
Sources of the Historical Pact confirmed that for this Saturday, without specifying the time, all the names will be revealed in a day of marathon appointments. And in his first appearance in public – this Friday – after four days away from cameras, Petro himself assured that “there are no problems with the cabinet, he is ready.”
Although he did not give details of the missing names – he only has 8 appointed – the elected president has already given his approval after carrying out a game of political millimetry so that the Conservative, Liberal, La U and Alianza Verde parties have representation. Or, without nuances, bureaucracy, which is key to guaranteeing governability and advancing the ambitious legislative agenda that he promised in the campaign.
In that rattle of possible ministers, the name of María Camila Villamizar entered strongly, Daniel Quintero’s secretary of government and who officiated as mayor in charge of Medellín when the incumbent was suspended by the Attorney General’s Office for improper participation in politics. It has been said that she would be the head of the ICT Ministry.
Quintero, who despite insisting on a photo with Petro on several occasions has still not achieved it – he even traveled unsuccessfully to Europe to look for it – wants to collect that eventual appointment as his quota in the cabinet. But that has more fabric to cut.
On the one hand, Villamizar is also close to the Liberal Party and could be read as a share of former president César Gaviria, head of the red community. In addition, due to her Nortesantanderean origin, it is known that she has the political patronage of José Fernando ‘el Gordo’ Bautista, a politician who has worked with several leaders and was key in Petro’s regional campaign.
In addition, it has another edge. Quintero, in one of his constant wanderings through Bogotá, put on the table the name of his wife, Diana Osorio –Social Manager of Medellín–, as an option for the cabinet and, especially, for the ICT Ministry. But judging by Villamizar’s eventual landing in that portfolio, he was not listened to. Even in petrist circles it is claimed that the mayor of Medellin put Alex Flórez (Senate) and Alejandro Toro (Chamber) in Congress through the Pact lists, which would already be enough ‘payment’ for their support for Petro in the presidential ones.
Parties and cabinetology
In any case, other names are being chosen on the rattle. Carlos Andrés Trujillo, the gamonal of Itagüí who presides over the Conservative Party and the Sixth Commission of the Senate, which deals precisely with technology issues in which Mayor Quintero is interested, is moving his chips.
It is said that his quota would be Guillermo Reyes, who sounded for the Justice portfolio, but now looks like a possible Minister of Transportation. However, the lawyer has not been exempt from questions for alleged plagiarism, a record that he denies and that did not prevent him from getting a seat on the splicing team.
Returning to the awnings of César Gaviria, who has been in intermittent dialogues with Petro since long before he was president, they put out the name of Catalina Velasco, an old acquaintance of Petro who worked in his Mayor’s Office as Secretary of Habitat and who is wife of Eduardo Noriega, very close to the incoming president.
But in addition to the conservatives and the liberals, the Green Alliance would also have its share. The co-president of that party, Antonio Navarro Wolf, would have been offered the Ministry of Commerce, but he ruled out that possibility, alleging health reasons.
Thus, on the side of the sunflower group, the name of the former governor of Nariño, Camilo Romero, could remain, who adhered to patrism since the beginning of the Historical Pact.
Meanwhile, Alfonso Prada, who headed the junction of the Ministry of the Interior, would be appointed for that role that Petro sees as that of a public relations officer with the national political class. With this, he puts aside his idea of going for the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá in the regional elections of 2023 to stay in the Casa de Nariño.
Prada was the man of confidence in the final stretch of the campaign and the first steps of the joint, and comes from working in the public sector during the administration of Juan Manuel Santos.
And when it comes to people close to the president, his right-hand man has been Daniel Rojas, the programmatic coordinator of the campaign and head of the national junction, who would take over as chief of staff of the Casa de Nariño. The young economist was from day one in the confirmation of the political project.
Rojas is even the one who knows closely all the profiles of those who had some role in Petro’s arrival in power, was his direct spokesman in the joint meetings and handles the most intimate documentation of the 62-year-old politician.
But in cabinetology there is still no fixed seat for La U which, like the others, presented some profiles. Of course, that dignity would end up arriving because it is a government party.
In this context, congressmen from the Pact told this newspaper that they are offsite for the appointments. In other words: it seems that Petro listens to opinions, but chooses alone.
That coincides with what happens among the ministers who have already been appointed, who reinforced their secrecy to speak with the media. And some, like Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva, have failed to give interviews. As this newspaper learned, they would have been asked to give fewer statements to the press until the presidential investiture is completed.
While the puzzle is being assembled, Petro was already the protagonist of a tradition in command transmissions with the three decorations he received this Friday from outgoing president Iván Duque: the order of Boyacá, that of San Carlos and the national order.
The appointment took place at noon in the Casa de Nariño and, judging by the images released, the meeting was cold and unemotional. In any case, he showed that a peaceful transition of power is underway.
Petro’s investitures
Now, in the absence of one, the president is going to have three inauguration ceremonies: two symbolic ones and the real one in the Casa de Nariño. The first already took place in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, before the Arhuaca community on Thursday, and the second will be this Saturday in Bogotá in front of 4,000 members of indigenous, Afro, peasant and even gypsy communities.
That step is considered symbolic because it will be the first time that social movements give a president the go-ahead. They baptized the event as a popular and spiritual possession and in it they will deliver a mandate from the peoples to the incoming government.
It is not a proposal for a government program, but rather a catalog with the requests that they have made in the protests for almost two decades. In other words: Petro is going to receive the requirements that were presented to its last three predecessors from five governments.
The singer Andrea Echeverri will read a social mandate, indigenous doctors will perform healing rituals to cleanse the energy of the president and his vice president, Francia Márquez, to later symbolize the beginning of a new era in which –as they consider– the communities take control can.
In any case, and without downplaying the importance of this act, the attention will be taken this Saturday by the new ministers. How much will Petro have had to give up in the bureaucratic negotiation?