“Jorge Quevedo cannot be sanctioned for complying with the Law”: Gustavo Petro
The Colombian President Gustavo Petro Urrego came out in defense of the Conservative House Representative, Jorge Quevedowho the Conservative Party would have prohibited from entering the sessions of the Health and Labor reform.
“You cannot sanction someone and take away their political rights for complying with the law. Remember, according to the American Convention on Human Rights, political rights are only lost by sentence of a criminal judge”, said President Gustavo Petro.
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Immediately afterwards, he assured that the reforms should be debated in Colombia with the presence of all the congressmen: “We will convene Congress to Extraordinary Sessions to discuss social reforms and the budget addition.”
This occurs after the President of the Conservative Party, Efraín Cepeda, disavowed the entry of Representative Jorge Quevedo to Commission VIIwarning that last night “they reiterated that he could not be in the session.”
Thus, it will be the oversight of the Conservative Party in its independence that makes the decisions. “By Bancada’s decision, no congressman will be able to vote on the health and labor reforms”assured the Conservative Party on its official Twitter account.
The reason why Jorge Quevedo would have suspended
Approximately a month ago, the filing of the positive report on the labor reform in the Seventh Commission of the Chamber left great disappointment within the Conservative Party because of the support given to the document by representative Jorge Alexander Quevedowho with his signature allowed the initiative to advance in its legislative process.
In fact, The determination of the congressman already generated consequences and it is that the oversight of the Conservative Party determined to sanction him temporarily, for 3 months, while an inquiry into his actions is carried out.
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It should be noted that Quevedo’s signature on the paper quickly generated negative reactions by the conservatism that, in the voice of its president Efraín Cepeda, reiterated its divisions against the Petro government and its reforms.
“In my capacity as president of the Colombian Conservative Party I want to announce that the signing of the labor reform paper by a representative does not represent the official position of the party. That official decision will be made at a bench meeting, in accordance with the bench law, next Tuesday, May 23,” Efraín Cepeda explained through a video at the time.