The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, has rekindled his intention to convene a National Constitutional Assembly following the acquittal of former president Álvaro Uribe. This proposal, which Petro describes as a call to the 'constituent power,' arises in response to what he considers an obsolete use of some current institutions that, according to him, obstruct the country's social gains. The Minister of Justice, Eduardo Montealegre, announced a bill to carry out this initiative that seeks to reform the 1991 Constitution, transforming the institutional structures to adapt them to contemporary needs.
The call for the Constituent Assembly has generated a strong political and social response. Critics like Sergio Fajardo remind Petro of his campaign promises not to appoint this figure, while others, such as Senator María Fernanda Cabal, consider that the proposal is doomed to fail due to political and temporal infeasibility. Although historically it is not the first time that a call of this kind has been proposed, the implementation requires a majority approval by Congress and significant public backing, obstacles that, according to analysts, make Petro's initiative face a complicated legal and political path.
Read the full news article on The Country.
