The government of Colombian President Gustavo Petro faces its first motion of censure on November 23, when Congress will decide whether or not it trusts the Minister of Mines and Energy, Irene Vélez, to remain in office.
The motion has been led by the representative of Cambio Radical Carolina Arbeláez, although it has also had the support of other opposition benches, such as Centro Democrático, the League of Anti-Corruption Rulers and other minority forces, reports the newspaper ‘El Colombiano’.
«We hope that for the first time in history a motion will prosper with a Congress aware of the damage being caused to the economy of our country by the irresponsible statements and activism of the minister,» said Arbeláez.
Those statements referred to by the opposition representative were made during an interview a month ago in which Vélez confirmed that she had no intention of signing new contracts for exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, which would make Colombia independent of the energy coming from Venezuela, a country with which relations have been normalized.
Thus, on November 23, Velez will have to testify before the Legislative for these declarations and after the debate, ten days later the vote will take place. However, the proposal is not likely to prosper since the Historic Pact and its allies are in the majority in the House of Representatives.
Vélez’s proposal is not the only attempt of the opposition to oust a minister of Petro’s government, since the Minister of Health, Carolina Corcho, is also in the spotlight.
