After the meeting with the bench of his Ciudadanos sector, Adrián Peña announced at a press conference his resignation as Minister of the Environment.
The announcement comes after the controversy that arose, with its twists and turns, regarding the information that was made public that the hierarch did not have the university degree that he claimed to have.
“The mistake was the one that I recognized, that I regretted and apologized for. It has to do with lying about that title for a while. Last Thursday I presented the schooling because I wanted to differentiate the cases well. The fault exists and I do not justify it. That’s why I apologize, but the situations are very different. I did the degree, I studied the 50 subjects. I passed them and approved the thesis. It took me a lot of effort and that is why all those who say that a university degree should be valued is very good. I did my degree working, like so many humble families in Uruguay. I will be, after this, the first professional for my relative, perhaps that led me to that mistake that today is difficult for me to explain,” Peña said.
He argued that his decision to resign from office has to do “with the mistake he made.”
“The mistake was made by the person Adrián Peña and not by the Minister of the Environment. Since I took office, I have not spent a day trying to carry this ministry forward and meet the goals we had set for ourselves. We have made a successful management. Nothing tarnishes the management of the Government. That is why many people tell me not to resign for such a minor event and that it has nothing to do with your management. On the other hand, many say that a public role in politics requires a high standard of ethics and probity. And that does not agree with the fact [error] that I committed”, said the Colorado leader.
“I have to honor the values that I always defended. When I was wrong, the first thing I did was go to the Executive Tower and tell the truth. Today I will be the first politician in Uruguay to resign due to an error of this type. We are people, a politician is one more with mistakes and successes. I was wrong and today I am going to pay for it with the highest it can cost. It doesn’t weigh on me because I’m not clinging to the position. It weighs on me for all the desire I have to do things,” said Adrián Peña, former Minister of the Environment.
Photo Focus Uy courtesy Teledoce.com
