Press Review of the Americas

In the News: the Colombian president takes the habit of conciliator in front of the Congress

Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech at the inauguration of a session of Congress in Bogotá, Colombia, Thursday, July 20, 2023. © Fernando Vergara / AP

Text by: Aabla Jounaïdi Follow

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Colombia's first leftist president addressed Congress on Thursday, for the start of the new legislature. A historic first and an opportunity for Gustavo Petro to defend his policy. An intervention of one hour and forty-six minutes "in a tone different from his habits," notes the national daily El Espectador. "His speech, far from being confrontational, was that of a leader who not only seeks, but needs the conciliation of the other parties," the newspaper summarizes. This is all the more necessary since "his priorities are to pass controversial social reforms that he has not been able to vote on so far because of the crisis of his coalition," recalls El Universal. Among its reforms, those of the health system, pensions... Or the agrarian reform which, according to the Colombian president, alone will accelerate the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement. Gustavo Petro, the former guerrilla, defended on this occasion his dialogue with the armed groups, much criticized by the opposition.

A possible consensus?

In the coming months, he will not have to be satisfied with agreeing with a few parties such as the "Liberal Party", the conservatives or the "Party of the U", stresses El Universal, he will have to expand his alliances to the "Democratic Center" or the liberal formation the "Radical Change" to carry out his projects, completes the daily. In short, dealing with antagonistic forces. Yesterday, by inviting an opposition leader to speak just after him at the rostrum, a strong gesture, he exposed himself to criticism, says the weekly Semana. The senator of the "Democratic Center" was thus able to highlight the gap between the president's speech and the Colombian reality. "While the president was talking about peace in Congress, clashes were taking place between armed groups in Argélia, in the department of Cauca," the right-wing weekly said.

The challenge now is to articulate the Petro government's proposals with those of other political parties, explains La República. But will the government be able to convince them to pass its many reforms: health, pensions, but also the Mining Code and education? "Consensus is possible for the pension reform," said analyst German Machado interviewed by La República, but "but others, such as health, will continue to be the subject of bitter debates and counter-proposals from the opposition," said the dailyEl Heraldo.

Regaining gun control in Brazil

On the other side of the border in Brazil, it is another piece of legislation that is agitating public opinion, the one on gun control. This campaign promise of President Lula could be signed in the form of a decree this Friday, reports the Correio Braziliense. According to O Globo, the decree would ban the sale of 9mm pistols, historically reserved for the security forces and the army, but whose use under the government of Jair Bolsonaro, had been liberalized.

Limit of the text, the holders will not be obliged to return them. This is particularly the case for sport shooters, hunters or collectors, gathered under the acronym CAC in Brazil. But they will be better controlled, Folha de Sao Paulo believes. "The government's reading is that the army did not supervise the CACs, under the Bolsonaro government, and that the federal police would be better able to do so," says the daily, which recalls that under Bolsonaro, the number of weapons held by citizens had more than doubled.

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  • Colombia
  • Press Review of the Americas
  • Press review
  • Gustavo Petro
  • Brazil
  • Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva