2023-11-20 05:01:48
In recent weeks, Gustavo Petro’s government has suffered a series of political, social and economic disagreements that have put it in the eye of the hurricane. For this reason, in the corridors of the Casa de Nariño it has become clear that the president is contemplating the possibility of using two old acquaintances who might help him face the crises.
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These are former senators Roy Barreras and Armando Benedetti, two political strategists who spoke in Petro’s ear during the 2022 presidential campaign and at the beginning of his mandate. Now both are sounding to give another nuance to the decisions in the Palace that allow us to face the contingency and unblock the debates on health reform in Congress, as well as seek strategies to calm social nonconformity and boost the lagging national economy.
Six years ago, no one might imagine that Petro – then a senator – would ally himself with these two traditional politicians who at the time demonstrated loyalty to Álvaro Uribe Vélez and Juan Manuel Santos. But today the reality is different, since in both cases it is a political calculation and two people who promoted the campaigns of Petro and the Historical Pact.
Roy plays a fundamental role
Barreras fully immersed himself in Petro’s campaign, shouldering the creation of the Pact, even with the rejection of great figures on the left, starting with the then senator Gustavo Bolívar. A coalition that won the legislative elections in March 2022.
In the case of the Presidency, Barreras – today ambassador in London – managed to be a key strategist, taking advantage of his legislative experience. But that does not take away the controversy, since the country remembers the various video recordings that came out a few days before the first round, in May 2022, where Barreras was seen talking regarding dirty campaign strategies to defeat Alejandro Gaviria and Federico Gutierrez.
With the victory, Petro gave a sign of true commitment to Barreras, he imposed him on the Historical Pact to be the president of the Senate, even above congressmen such as María José Pizarro, Gustavo Bolívar and Alexander López, whom he assured would be the candidate. official
Barreras then fully fulfilled his task, ensuring that the political agreements with other parties were consolidated, as well as that the reforms were implemented. The tax bill was the key project that was approved sooner than expected, but with the passage of time and Petro’s change of positions, the government coalition was worn out and the reforms led by the health reform were stagnating.
The former senator from La U had to step aside when in May the Council of State annulled his election for double militancy. Barreras also faced cancer that he faced for several months. Once out of Congress, he fully entered the Government, he did so as the ambassador to the United Kingdom in London, where he has been working for just over two months.
But in the midst of the political crisis and favorability among citizens that Petro is experiencing, this week that bishop appeared once more, very figuratively. Ambassador Barreras was in Colombia and gave a lot to talk regarding. On Monday, in a traditional council of ministers that takes place at night, he appeared as a special Alex Reed of the president, where he spoke regarding those complex issues that the Government is going through.
That day also drew attention to the absence of the Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, who was noted to have been at the Casa de Nariño until before the meeting of the council of ministers began. Immediately, the rumor that spread through the corridors of the Presidential Palace and in the media is that Barreras would be the new Minister of Defense.
The next day, Barreras was in the Senate, resuming his steps, where he spoke not only with the congressmen of the Historical Pact, but also with the opposition, with whom he put the issues on the legislative agenda on the table.
For the analyst and former governor of Santander, Andrés Fandiño, the ambassador is trying to take advantage of a situation that is favorable for him. “He must be analyzing what is the best scenario for him, whether to continue as ambassador in London or become President Petro’s minister.”
Fandiño emphasizes that former Senator Barreras is “one of the most important bishops of the government, of the president, at the time he was the person who managed to achieve consensus in the majority of the parties, he managed politics very well in all scenarios.”
And that was precisely what the now diplomat did this week, he spoke with different political sectors, but, according to him, he did not do it because of a call that President Petro made to him to reach some position in the Government. It should be remembered that the current ambassador indicated that he would be in diplomacy until July of next year.
“He can be a very good Minister of the Interior for Petro, in the Ministry of Defense he is lost, he is a good bishop who can help. The Government needs a great Minister of the Interior and it needs a great Minister of Defense and a great presidential advisor at the head of the cabinet,” asserts Fandiño.
A voice in the same sense that Barreras would be important for the Casa de Nariño, is given by the public policy consultant, Néstor Daniel García Colorado, who considers that “the country needs all the brains, all the minds, all the hands, obviously Roy Barreras has a special ability to reach agreements and achieve the work of articulated agendas with all sectors.”
Even the analyst García Colorado went much further and specifically described what Barreras does in Creole diplomacy. “Roy Barreras ‘extradited’ to the United Kingdom contributes little to the country, he might play a better role in the local agenda where leaders are needed to create bridges as he knows how to do.”
For some sectors, the hand that Barreras has put into the political discussion can already be seen with what was done this week, as it was decisive in President Petro’s invitation to have a red wine with the head of the opposition, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, very typical of his political strategy.
A new opportunity?
The other name that has been ringing, not as strongly as Barreras, is that of Armando Benedetti, the controversial former ambassador to Venezuela, who was also fundamental in the campaign for Petro to win the Presidency.
However, the relationship between Petro and Benedetti is not going through its best moment following the scandal broke out involving the then chief of staff, Laura Sarabia, when conversations were leaked in which Benedetti said that the president had broken bureaucratic commitments.
After his departure from the embassy in Caracas, in the midst of this situation, Benedetti’s name has once once more been mentioned as a possible minister, a possibility regarding which he himself would be telling close friends.
His arrival in Petro’s ministerial cabinet is not viewed favorably by analyst Fandiño, who maintains that this would be another of the serious mistakes that President Petro has made due to the negative image of the former ambassador.
The head of state will have the last word and although the figures of Barreras and Benedetti contrast (see To learn more), the truth is that they are two political strategists with extensive experience who can give political respite to the House of Nariño in the midst of the crises.
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