Colombian president calls for referendum on health and labor reforms that have stalled in congress

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Tuesday he will call for a special election in which voters will be able to approve or reject labor reform and health reform, which have been stalled for months in congress.

In a nationally televised speech, Petro accused Colombia’s senate of “mocking” voters and siding with the nation’s “oligarchy” by turning down his efforts to reform the nation’s labor laws and its health system.

With dozens of activists and pro-government politicians standing behind him, Petro called on his supporters to mobilize in favor of his government’s reforms.

“We have searched in our constitution for a path that will enable people to make decisions without intermediaries,” Petro said. “Now the people must decide if they want to be slaves, or if they want to be free and respectable.”

Petro’s proposal came just hours after a group of eight senators issued a statement saying they would reject the president’s health reform in a crucial committee vote.

The Colombian president has often struggled to get legislation passed by the nation’s congress, where his party lacks a majority of seats.

During his presidential campaign in 2022, Petro promised he would transform Colombia’s health system by eliminating insurance companies that handle obligatory social security payments and put a government agency in charge of administering those funds.

Petro has accused insurance companies of mishandling millions of dollars. But his health reform has been turned down several times by legislators who argue it would give too much power to government bureaucrats and say the government does not have the capacity to administer millions of patients.

Petro, a leftist who has long advocated for more government intervention in the economy, has also struggled to get his labor reform through congress. He has proposed increasing pay for nocturnal workers, and making it harder for companies to hire workers on short-term contracts.

The special election that the president has called for is known as a “popular consultation” in Colombian legislation. To be carried out it must be approved by a majority Colombia’s senate. In the consultation, voters must be presented with questions that have yes and no answers. At least a third of all registered voters must participate in the consultation in order for the results to be implemented.