Huge crowds protest Colombian president’s planned reforms
Al Jazeera
Protesters call Gustavo Petro’s policies ‘dire’ as his government attempts to reform healthcare and other sectors.
Tens of thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets in several cities to protest against President Gustavo Petro’s social reform agenda.
About 70,000 people demonstrated in Bogota on Sunday, according to estimates provided by the city government. Large rallies also took place in other cities across the country in opposition to Petro’s proposed economic and social reforms.
Protests have been a constant since the former leftist fighter took office in 2022, but have gained momentum as Petro has floated the possibility of rewriting the constitution to spur social reforms blocked by a hostile congress and conservative business groups.
A Senate committee earlier this month rejected a proposed health reform aimed at stripping power from insurers and expanding access to healthcare. The opposition has been angered by the government’s move to take control of two main insurers it said had failed to correctly care for patients.
The government is expected to propose a new version of the health reform once the new legislative session begins in July. Pension and labour reforms are also being debated by lawmakers.
