This Sunday, August 7, once the act of inauguration was completed, President Gustavo Petro continued to uncover the cards of who will be the ministers who will accompany him at the start of his government.
So far, the head of state has revealed the names of 18 members of the cabinet of ministers.
One of the first names to be known was that of José Antonio Ocampo as Minister of Finance, a designation that was a priority to bring calm to the markets, which after Petro’s triumph on June 19 showed signs of nervousness.
Ocampo has on his shoulders one of the biggest challenges of the new government: carry out the tax reform, which is what will help finance the ambitious social package with which Petro arrives.
Another of those who will be in the close ring of the new president will be Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva, an experienced man on the political stage.
Leyva Durán was a congressman, candidate for the Presidency in 2006 and Minister of Mines and Energy in the government of then President Belisario Betancurt, in 1984. In addition, he participated in the peace negotiation in Cuba.
The former magistrate Iván Velásquez arrives at the Defense portfolio, a man considered relentless in the fight against corruption. He is recognized because during his tenure at the Supreme Court of Justice as an auxiliary magistrate he was an investigator of the so-called parapolitics.
In the Ministry of the Interior will be Alfonso Prada, former Secretary General of the Presidency of the government of Juan Manuel Santos. Prada will have among his priority missions to achieve coordination with the Congress of the Republic so that the most important projects of the Petro administration are approved, among which is the tax reform.
For him The Ministry of Environment was appointed Susana Muhamad, former councilor and Secretary of Environment of the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá during Petro’s administration in the capital.
One of the most surprising appointments was that of the former rector of the Universidad de los Andes Alejandro Gaviria, who participated in the presidential contest As a candidate for the Hope Center Coalition, however, for the second round he landed in Petro’s campaign, who rewarded him with the Ministry of Education.
In the Ministry of Health, Petro chose the specialist in psychiatry Carolina Corcho, one of the biggest critics of the EPS, who will have the complex mission of taking action in the face of constant complaints from citizens about non-compliance in health matters.
The ministerial team of the new government is completed by four more women: Cecilia López, in the portfolio of Agriculture; Gloria Inés Ramírezm in the Ministry of Labor; Patricia Ariza, at the Ministry of Culture; and María Isabel Urrutia, who is now in charge of the Sports portfolio.
Likewise, there are two more appointments that Petro announced in the last few hours, prior to the official inauguration: at the head of the Ministry of Housing, he placed Catalina Velasco Campuzano, and at the Ministry of Justice, Néstor Osuna.
Gustavo Petro’s cabinet will have an important participation of women. This is demonstrated by the fact that of the 12 appointments made to date, seven are for women.
These are the cabinet appointments made so far:
– Ministry of Labor: Gloria Inés Ramírez.
– Ministry of the Interior: Alfonso Prada.
– Ministry of Mines and Energy: Irene Vélez.
– Ministry of Sports: María Isabel Urrutia.
– Chancery | Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Álvaro Leyva.
– Ministry of Finance and Public Credit: José Antonio Ocampo.
– Ministry of National Defense: Iván Velásquez.
– Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development: Susana Muhamad.
– Ministry of Culture: Patricia Ariza.
– Ministry of National Education: Alejandro Gaviria.
– Ministry of Health and Protection: Carolina Corcho.
– Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Cecilia López.
-Ministry of Housing, City and Territory: Catalina Velasco Campuzano.
-Ministry of Justice and Law: Néstor Osuna.
-Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism: Germán Umaña.
-Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications: Mery Janneth Gutiérrez.
-Ministry of Transportation: Guillermo Reyes
The last four appointments were made within the framework of the presidential inauguration day, held this Sunday, August 7. It is still pending to know the name of who will head the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and who will succeed Tito José Crissien.
Other positions in the Presidential Cabinet
Among the positions that will accompany the management of the incoming Government, it is necessary to appoint, in addition to the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, the director of the National Administrative Department of Statistics, who will succeed Juan Oviedo; to the National Director of Intelligence; the head of the Administrative Department of the Civil Service; the direction of the ICBF and whoever takes the reins of the Department of Social Prosperity.
For now it is known that, if the Ministry of Equality and Women is created, it will be in the hands of Vice President Francia Márquez. It would also be necessary to see who would be at the head of the Ministry of Peace, Security and Coexistence, one of the ministries that would be new to its administration.
Other appointments are known at the moment:
- Laura Camila Sarabia as Chief of Staff of the House of Nariño.
- Mauricio Lizcano, new director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency.
- Rangel Giovani Yule will lead the Land Restitution Unit.
- María Patricia Tobón Yagarí will be the head of the Unit for Comprehensive Care and Reparation for Victims.
- Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia will be the Ambassador of Colombia to the United States
- Luis Ernesto Vargas Silva will represent the country as Ambassador of Colombia to the OAS.
- Luis Carlos Reyes Hernández will be the head of the National Tax and Customs Directorate.
- Leonor Zalabata Torres will be the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Colombia to the UN.
- Danilo Rueda as High Commissioner for Peace.