Off the Rails

Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for the resignation of his ministers and senior officials following a week of political turmoil that further deepened divisions within his leftist government, the Financial Times reported.

On Sunday, Petro announced on social media that “there will be some changes in the cabinet to achieve greater compliance with the program mandated by the people.”

He did not specify the extent of the reshuffle.

His call for resignations came after a tense televised cabinet meeting last Tuesday, where Petro publicly criticized members of his administration for failing to deliver on key projects.

The six-hour meeting led last week to the resignations of Culture Minister Juan David Correa and Jorge Rojas, head of the presidential administrative department.

Environment Minister Susana Muhamad – a longtime ally – also resigned Sunday before Petro’s posts.

Muhamad cited disagreements over the presence of controversial figures in the government.

The leftist president has come under scrutiny in recent days over his decision to appoint Armando Benedetti and Laura Sarabia into senior positions, even though both are linked to corruption and wiretapping scandals.

Petro has defended his decision to appoint Benedetti as his chief of staff, despite the latter being under investigation for illegal campaign financing and facing accusations of domestic abuse, Agence France-Presse wrote.

He also justified the promotion of Sarabia to foreign minister. Sarabia, a former aide, was involved in a case of alleged illegal wiretapping.

Petro dismissed critics, arguing that the internal conflicts stemmed from ministers positioning themselves ahead of next year’s elections.

The political crisis threatens to derail Petro’s sweeping leftist agenda, which includes overhauling Colombia’s pension, healthcare, and education systems while transitioning the economy away from fossil fuels.

Petro has also attempted to pursue a policy of “total peace” to end the country’s decades-long conflict with armed groups. However, his peace efforts derailed in recent weeks amid escalating violence in the northeast, where more than 50,000 people have been displaced this year because of fighting between armed groups.