The Uribe party Democratic Center, main of opposition in Colombia, I consider that the first half of President Gustavo Petro’s government, which is fulfilled this Wednesday, has been a “setback for Colombians“.
“These have been two years in which, in addition, the Government has systematically attacked institutions, freedoms, democracy and the opposition, creating issues such as a constituent assembly before public opinion, protected by an illegitimate (peace) agreement such as the one in Havana, widely rejected by the ‘no’ in the plebiscite.“the party founded by former president Álvaro Uribe said in a statement.
(See: Two years into Gustavo Petro’s government, what is your assessment?).
Petro, the first leftist ruler in Colombia, reaches the middle of his term with eroded popularity and, in that sense, the Democratic Center assured that recent popularity polls “they crack down on their government“.
Surveys of the firms Econalitica and Guarumo They indicated that 32.6% of those surveyed described President Petro’s management as “terrible” and 33.3% as “bad.”
They also revealed that The problems that most concern Colombians are access to health with 21.9%, the corruption (18%), the security (16.3%), the cost of the basic basket (16.1%) and lack of employment (fifteen %).
(See: Two years into the Petro administration: what challenges does the president still face?).
“All the concerns that overwhelm citizens today are directly related to issues in which the policies and mistakes of this Government present serious cracks and problems in their execution.“, the party assured.
Petro Government.
Unbridled violence
In the security section, the Democratic Center says that “he left Colombia” and that the ‘total peace’ policy from Petro “It has meant a humanitarian tragedy for thousands of Colombians suffocated by the pressure and excessive growth of different criminal organizations throughout the country.“.
The Uribe party assures that the Gulf Clan, with which the Government has just opened a “space for socio-legal conversation”, is a criminal gang that “intimidates the inhabitants of 75% of the national territory where 24 of the 32 departments already report the serious presence of this armed group, according to the Ombudsman’s Office“.
(See: Gustavo Petro: the life and work of the President of the Republic).
He also stresses that the guerrilla group of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the dissidents of the FARC “They also multiply under the protection of this government“.
The ELN claims to be present in 232 municipalities, the FARC dissidents are present in 299 localities and other organized crime groups in 184 towns.
For the Democratic Center, the Government’s policy “seems to encourage violence” because In the last two years, the massacres total more than 150 and that, according to the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Mass forced displacement increased by 37%.
Violence is affecting social leaders and more than 330 have been killed during this government, and kidnapping is also on the rise, up 45%, and extortion by 52%, adds the report from the Democratic Center.
(See: Low growth and erratic policies: this is how the economy has fared in 2 years of Petro).
He also stressed that during this administration there have been 14 corruption scandals, such as the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), involving members of the Government.
Finally, the Uribe party points out that The two years of the Petro government have meant a brake on economic growthomic from the country, because while in 2022 Colombia experienced a growth of 7.3%, In 2023, GDP fell to 0.6%, the lowest in 25 years.
EFE
