Carolina Corcho, from Health, is leaving; José Antonio Ocampo of the Treasury; Cecilia López, from Agriculture; Alfonso Prada, from the Interior, Mauricio Lizcano, passes to Mintic.
President Gustavo Petro provoked a romp in his cabinet, to alleviate the political crisis he is facing, especially due to the Health reform, which has confronted him, in large part, due to the belligerence of the outgoing Minister Corcho, the heads of the parties of the government coalition: César Gaviria, Liberal party; Dilian Francisca Toro, from the U and Efraín Cepeda, curator.
In a statement issued on April 26 by the Secretary for Communications and Press of the Presidency, after a few hours of having asked the entire cabinet to resign, Petro stated: “Despite the fact that my cabinet and its commitment to dialogue and the pact was rejected by some traditional and establishment political leadership, we are going to persist with our program and our vocation for great national agreements. We reaffirm our commitment to always be faithful to the popular mandate received, and we have decided to set up a government to redouble our agenda of social change at the service of the great majority of citizens and peoples of Colombia”.
In eight months of the Petro Government, the drop in the ministries has been several.
new ministers
- Ricardo Bonilla, Minister of Finance, replaces José Antonio Ocampo
- Jhenifer Mojica, Minister of Agriculture, replacing Cecilia López Montaño
- Luis Fernando Velasco Chaves. Minister of the Interior, replaces Alfonso Prada
- Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, Minister of Health, replaces Carolina Corcho
- Yesenia Olaya, Minister of Science, replaces Arturo Luis Luna Tapia
- Mauricio Lizcano, ICT Minister, replaces Sandra Milena Urrutia
- Carlos Ramón González, director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency (Dapre).
Who comes to the ministries?
Ricardo BonillaMinister of Finance.
He is the current director of Financiera de Desarrollo Territorial SA (Findeter). He is an economist with studies at the National University of Colombia and the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, with an advanced studies diploma from the University of Rennes, in France. He has been a professor at the Javeriana and Nacional universities and a member of the Colombian Academy of Economic Sciences (ACCE). Bonilla was Secretary of the Treasury of the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá, he was Petro, between January 2002 and April 2015 and has advised the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, on different economic issues, such as pensions.
•Luis Fernando VelascoMinister of the Interior
Born in Popayán (Cauca), he is the current Presidential Advisor for the Regions and director in charge of the National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD). He is a lawyer from the University of Cauca and has a master’s degree in Government and Public Administration from the Menéndez Pelayo International University. He was representing the Chamber between 1998 and 2006 and, then, a senator between 2006 and 2022, he served as president of this corporation in the 2015-2016 legislature. He was also mayor of Popayán.
•Jennifer Mojica FlorezMinister of Agriculture.
She is the current director of Ethnic Affairs of the Land Restitution Unit, accompanying the management of Giovani Yule Zape. She is a lawyer and has specialized her work in the protection of human rights. She was deputy director of the Colombian Commission of Jurists (CCJ), she has been part, as a lawyer, of various processes with the Association of Arhuaco Authorities of the Sierra Nevada and the Commission for the Clarification of the Truth.
•William Camargo TrianaMinister of Transport
He is the current director of the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI). He is an engineer from the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, Tunja, specialized in transportation at the National University, has a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the Javeriana University. Currently, he is pursuing a doctorate in Project Management with the Benito Juárez University. Camargo Triana has extensive experience in sustainable mobility projects, in planning road, rural, urban and regional projects; in formulation, design, monitoring and implementation of projects related to territorial ordering, urban and regional planning, transit, transport, mobility and Intelligent Transport Systems (SIT).
•Mauricio LizcanoICT minister
He is the current director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic (According to). Lawyer from the Universidad del Rosario, specializing in Management, Government and Public Affairs from the Universidad Externado de Colombia in association with Columbia University. He was a representative to the Chamber in the period 2006-2010 and a senator of the Republic, between 2010 and 2018. His professional experience includes positions, as general secretary of the Agustín Codazzi Geographic Institute, between 2004 and 2005; office advisor to the Ministry of Communications, in 2003; UNDP consultant Ministry of the Interior and Justice, in 2003; and Secretary of Traffic of Manizales, in 2002; among others.
•Guillermo Alfonso JaramilloHealth Minister
He is a surgeon at the Colegio Mayor del Rosario and professional studies in cardiovascular surgery, at The Swedish Board of Health and Wellfare (Sweden), and cardiopediatric surgery, at the Uppsala University Hospital (Sweden). He was Secretary of Health of the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá, during the period of Gustavo Petro. In that same administration he was district secretary, between 2013 and 2014. In his political career, Jaramillo was a representative to the Chamber (1982-1986), a senator of the Republic (2001-2004 and 2009-2010) and served as governor of Tolima, appointed by President Virgilio Barco Vargas.
•Yesenia Olaya RequeneMinister of Science
She has a doctorate in anthropology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and has served as academic coordinator of the Certificate in Afro-Latin American Studies of the Afro-Latin American Research Institute at Harvard University. She is a native of Tumaco, Nariño, she has extensive experience as a researcher in the field of Afro-Latin American studies and inclusive education, among others. She is currently Vice Minister of Talent and Social Appropriation of Knowledge of Minciencias.
•Carlos Ramon Gonzalezdirector of Dapre
He is a lawyer, political scientist and environmental specialist. His resume shows, in particular, his political career, he has been part of different processes of national life, as a candidate for the National Constituent Assembly in 1991, representative to the Chamber, between 1991 and 1994; councilor of Bucaramanga, between 1995 and 1998; director of the Alianza Democrática M-19 party, between 2002 and 2005; and director of the Green Party, between 2005 and 2009.
They stay
Among those who remain in the Petro cabinet are the controversial Minister of Mines and Energy, Irene Vélez; the minister of justice, Néstor Osuna; Catalina Velasco, from Housing; Gloria Inés Ramírez, from Labor; Germán Umaña, of Commerce; Álvaro Leyva, chancellor; Susana Muhamad, Environment and defense, Iván Velásquez.