Colombia plunges into a political crisis after president demands resignation of his cabinet

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday called for his ministers and other senior officials to step down, as tensions soared in the government days after he lambasted his team on live television.

The demand came after Petro on Tuesday subjected his cabinet to a five-hour public dressing down on state TV, accusing several officials, including his trade, education and health ministers, of falling behind on the delivery of key projects.

“I have requested the resignation of ministers and directors of administrative departments,” Petro posted on social media platform X.

“There will be some changes in the cabinet to achieve greater compliance with the program ordered by the people.”

Earlier Sunday, Colombia’s environment minister Susana Muhamad became the second cabinet member in a week to step down after the contentious meeting, in which Petro said the government had been underperforming.

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Several ministers have complained about the presence at the meeting of Armando Benedetti, one of Petro’s closest aides, who is being investigated over illegal campaign financing during the president’s 2022 election race and who has been accused by his ex-wife of domestic abuse.

They also expressed disapproval of the appointment as foreign minister of Laura Sarabia, Petro’s scandal-hit former chief of staff, who has had a meteoric rise within the government.

She was implicated in an investigation into the largest corruption scandal in the government and was involved in a case of alleged illegal wiretapping against her nanny.

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The day after the cabinet meeting, culture minister Juan David Correa resigned, as did Jorge Rojas, the head of the state agency DAPRE, which manages large amounts of state funds.

Muhamad, who hosted last year’s UN COP16 conference on biodiversity in the city of Cali and was generally viewed as a capable pair of hands in the erratic Petro’s left-wing government, was one of the few to earn the president’s praise during the meeting.

Muhamad told the online channel Los Danieles that her decision to quit was “difficult” and said it was motivated by Benedetti’s involvement in the running of the state.

During Tuesday’s meeting she had complained “as a feminist and a woman” against his presence.

Muhamad has been one of the stars of Petro’s administration at a time when he is seeking to claim a leading role in global climate diplomacy.

She had been touted as a possible candidate to succeed the highly unpopular Petro, Colombia’s first-ever leftist president, when his term ends in 2026.

The political shake-up also comes just weeks after some ministers took office, including Sarabia, and the ministers for finance, information and transport.