Why has Francia Márquez not been left in charge during Petro’s trips abroad?

Several citizens have questioned in social networks that the Vice President Francia Marquez is not the person who occupies the functions of the President Gustav Petro during his absence due to international commitments of the Government.

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The doubts grew this weekend when, for the second time, the Minister of Labor, Gloria Inés Ramírezwhile the president attends the UN General Assembly in New York, which will take place next Monday.

Despite the rumors that have spread in recent days regarding an attempt to exclude the vice president from government decisions, the motive is beyond an arbitrary decision: The Political Constitution of 1991 defines that the person who remains in charge during the President’s trips abroad – in the exercise of his functions – must be a minister who, in addition, belongs to the same political party or movement as the president.

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The foregoing “according to the order of legal precedence”, as cited in article 196 of the Magna Carta, leaves under the responsibility of the delegate minister “the constitutional functions delegated by the Presidentboth those that are his own and those that he exercises in his capacity as Head of Government”.

However, the order of precedence is also stipulated in the Political Constitution, although the article has had some modifications following the creation of new ministries. The most recent was made with Law 2162 of 2021when the Ministries of Sport and Science, Technology and Innovation were established.

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In the order it was established that the first place is occupied by the Ministry of the Interior, followed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Treasury and Public Credit; Justice and Law; of National Defense; Agriculture and Rural Development; Health and Social Protection, and in eighth place is the Ministry of Labor.

In other words, among the people who lead the main portfolios of the Government, none was part of the political parties or movements that endorsed the candidacy of Gustavo Petro as president of Colombia and This is why Gloria Inés Ramírez, from the Communist Party, is the person in charge of the Head of State.

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The denomination, order and precedence of the other ministries continues as follows: Ministry of Mines and Energy; of Commerce, Industry and Tourism; of National Education; Environment and Sustainable Development; Housing, City and Territory; Information and Communication Technologies; Of transport; of Culture; of sport; and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.