government’s first social reform Gustavo Petro. This labor reform archived as the first debate was not given before the end of the first legislature. The next period may be submitted, but they will have to make some changes to the text if they do not withdraw it before archiving.
(Also: Live: Critical day in Congress, this is how this legislative session goes.)
However, they insist that it can be discussed in extras from the Historical Pact. Representative María Fernanda Carrascal, the project’s rapporteur, assured that they are on hold if the Government schedules the project for mid-year extras.
While the fifth law of 1992 is clear that a project that didn’t have its first debate before the legislative change went bankrupt, they guarantee that the initiative has been salvaged since the ratification of the majority document last Thursday.
However, articles with different theses were pending. For some, the fifth law is clear that the first debate will only be completed when open voting and the title of the project are finished. Others claim that the project was saved with the confirmation of the positive report.
From the beginning, the labor reform project was the most complex looking. A few weeks ago, government sources commented to this newspaper that they thought the project process was lost. However, the Ministry of Labor worked hard to push the project forward.
(You may be interested in: What was ratified and what went bankrupt in this first year of the legislature?).
The reform was left undiscussed. only had one session majority enough to move the discussion forward and this was because of the use of filigree assembly moves. This was last week’s Thursday.
On that day, an obstacle vote could be made, the submission of the opposition’s file was rejected and the positive report was approved. The ‘game’ they resorted to was to complete the game. majority with the help of representatives Alexander Quevedo (Conservative) and Jairo Humberto Cristo (Radical Change).
While both congressmen—one at the behest of his party—are against the project, their presence has unblocked the process and has led them to face disciplinary proceedings in their own communities. With the right majority, the Seventh Commission accepted the obstacles of the three opponents who opposed the project, thereby reducing the minimum number of representatives necessary to move the debate forward.
This move made us think that this Tuesday, the last day of the legislature, would complete the process and save the project for the next term, but it did not. There were never enough people to run the process.
The session was originally scheduled for 7 a.m., but the new building of Congress was left without electricity and water due to an accident at a nearby restaurant. Therefore, it was postponed to 10 o’clock and the debate moved to the elliptical room of the Chamber.
The hour passed slowly. First at 10, then at 11, and then at 1. There were never enough reps. Not even those related to the government and the project. They met for several hours in the office of the President of the Chamber.
(Keep reading: What will Petro’s government rely on in extras to support its social reforms?).
Those present were María Fernanda Carrascal (Historical Pact), Germán Gómez (Comunes), María Eugenia Lopera (Liberal), Juan Camilo Londoño (Green Alliance) and others. Around noon they were joined by the Minister of the Interior, Luis Fernando Velasco.
On the other hand, representatives who opposed the project were also in the opposition march. and others were at a meeting at the Congress building. They gathered not to majority.
Despite the fact that they argued that they did not attend the session because all the representatives of the Commission had a refusal decision and that they would not be able to attend the session until the Ethics Commission made a decision.
At around one o’clock in the afternoon the chairman of the Seventh Commission took his place and formally began its session. Around 1:41, he asked for his count. majority and there was no minimum number of representatives required to initiate the discussion. There were only a few of the pact.
In the end, it was not possible to hold the session and there is talk that the project will be withdrawn so that the Government can soften the defeat and not have to amend the text to be able to resubmit it. Others claim that the project is still alive since its presentation was approved. The discussion will come in the coming days.
POLITICAL ARTICLE
Source: Exame
