Colombia’s new Congress is the most diverse ever: Can they implement Petro’s ambitious reforms?
Colombia’s new Congress is the most diverse ever: Can they implement Petro’s ambitious reforms?
Broad representation, including from long-voiceless conflict zones, represents a sharp departure from the past and includes record numbers of women and Afro-Colombians
A new Congress of Colombia was sworn in on July 20th, and its diversity is historic. As new representatives take office, Colombia takes a giant step forward demands presented in its 1991 constitution: a multiethnic and multicultural country. The presence of indigenous people, Afro-descendants, women and the LGBTIQ+ population is larger than ever in the history of the Senate and House of Representatives seats— which have traditionally been mostly won by men from wealthy families.
Alongside the historic election of a new ex-guerrilla president, Gustavo Petro, and a black vice president, Francia Márquez, a new way of doing politics in Colombia, with new voices, has also made its way into the legislative branch.
The new Congress contains the largest number of openly LGBTIQ+ congressmen in history, seven, compared to two after 2018 elections. Women have also made representational gains. Women will occupy 29 more seats than in the previous legislature- 32 Senators and 54 Representatives in the chamber out of a total of 294 seats, or 29% of the total number of congressmen. But this diversity of representation, though an important step, is an achievement that stands in the shadow of other scandals.
Also taking office are the winners of special elections for 'Victims' Seats', a program devised as part of the Peace Agreement in 2016, which were created so that those who have suffered the worst violence of the civil war could have a voice in government. Despite numerous scandals during the election process, such as the election of the son of a paramilitary fighter claiming to be a 'victim' of the war, a dozen women and four men from the departments most racked by conflict and violence will take their place in the Congress of the republic.
Although Colombia already had some “special constituencies” for indigenous and Afro populations, these seats in the past were co-opted by the more traditional political parties that did not represent the agenda of those who lived in these communities. This year was different.
Cha Dorina, from San Basilio de Palenque, becomes the first Palenquera woman to reach Congress. The municipality is reknowned as "the first free town in America" due to its historical resistance against slavery. Dorina won elections as part of Pacto Historico, the coalition of president-elect, Gustavo Petro, to bring together a diverse set of political factions.
Another important figure is Aida Quilcue, a Nasa indigenous leader, from the department of Cauca, one of the most violent regions in the country. She has been active as an indigenous leader since her youth. In 2008 her husband was murdered by criminal groups. Dorina and Quilcue bring an agenda and a perspective to Bogotá that has historically been overlooked for decades, and across administrations.
Tamara Argote becomes the first non-binary representative as well, marking an improvement in the inclusion of voices of sexual diversity— an issue that Colombia has struggled with in recent years.
These diverse voices lend new dimensions to the legislative landscape, especially if one takes into account that the former FARC guerrillas who, as part of the Peace Agreement, have ten seats, have given their public support to the president-elect. Through these representatives and new coalitions with traditional parties, Petro has managed to build a majority coalition in Congress— something few analysts could have predicted a year ago.
Petro comes to power on August 7 with a broad coalition likely to support his ambitious agenda, such as the creation of two new ministries: the Ministry of Equality, which will be chaired by its vice president, Francia Márquez; and the Ministry of Peace and Coexistence, where control of the national police, which currently operate under military command, will be transferred.
This coalition could be the cornerstone to achieve the transformation promised by Petro, the first left-wing president in modern history. The president-elect and the new Congress both face grave challenges: surging violence in rural areas that has left hundreds of activists and social leaders dead, fallout from a COVID-induced recession, the growing power of armed groups and increasing political polarization.
“Without peace, there can be no Democracy,” was his often-heard slogan on the campaign trail. He stands positioned to try and build both, but he will need to maintain this historically diverse Congress on his side. If he can't, his plans to implement “Total Peace” may slip by the wayside.
We just got word from the crow’s nest, there be news in sight!
This week, Daniela is pillaging in the Pacifico, Paulo is hauling on the mainsheet, Josh is sharpening his pen and Amy, following weeks adrift in the liferaft Coypu, has found safe haven in Salta.
On to the news!
Como siempre, deslízate abajo para leer en castellano.
Rafael Caro Quintero, a Mexican drugs kingpin who served 27 years in jail for murdering a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent, was arrested again last week in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa. After his release in 2013, Quintero quickly got back into the drug trade, and the US government had put a US$20 million bounty on him. Observers say he is one of the most important drugs bosses to be arrested in Mexico since President Andrés Miguel López Obrador came to power.
Businesses in Argentina are warning that import restrictions could soon lead to goods shortages unless the country’s strict regime of currency controls and permits is modified. As the country scrambles to maintain what’s left of its dollar reserves amid a crisis that’s seen annual inflation pass the 60% mark, the government is clamping down on purchases of goods from abroad. But many businesses say this is limiting access to imported inputs they need to produce within Argentina, while other products, such as coffee, are staples that aren’t produced nationally. This comes as the widely-used parallel exchange rate passes 300 pesos to the dollar for the first time.
The governments of Colombia and Panama are reportedly discussing the creation of a “safe corridor” around the Darien Gap, a treacherous border region of mountains and dense jungle that has grown as a migration route for those attempting to reach the US in recent years. The move comes as growing numbers of migrants have lost their lives attempting the crossing. Many of the migrants are from Caribbean countries such as Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti, and also countries in West Africa.
What we’re writing:
Daniela is keeping us afloat this week with these pieces for El País about Colombia’s progress towards justice in unpaid domestic work and the country’s struggle with deforestation.
What we’re reading:
On Buenos Aires City’s ban on using gender-neutral word endings in schools
Spanish words of the week:
Asignación (f) - allocation, assignment, allowance
Tela (f) - fabric. But telas, plural, can mean aerial silks, also known as “the reason why all of Amy hurts”
La diversidad se toma el nuevo Congreso de Colombia
Con la instalación de los nuevos parlamentarios se evidencia una representación más integral y amplia en las voces políticas del país
La posesión el pasado 20 de julio del nuevo Congreso de Colombia se acercó a lo que se consignó en su constitución del 1991: un país pluriétnico y multicultural. La presencia de indígenas, afrodescendientes, mujeres y la población LGBTIQ+ se hizo más potente que nunca en la historia de las curules del Senado y la Cámara de Representantes. Los datos así lo comprueban.
Paralelo a la elección de un nuevo presidente exguerrillero y una vicepresidenta negra, la transformación en la forma de hacer política en Colombia también se coló en su parlamento.
Este será el período con el mayor número de congresistas abiertamente LGBTIQ+, antes apenas eran dos y ahora serán siete. En el caso de las mujeres el panorama mejoró sustancialmente. Las curules ocupadas por mujeres serán 29 más con respecto a 2018, el año de inicio del legislativo anterior. Para el período 2022 - 2026 el congreso quedó con 32 Senadoras y 54 Representantes a la cámara de un total de 294 curules disponibles, convirtiéndose en un 29% del total de congresistas. Sin embargo, aunque es un paso importante, sigue dejando a la paridad como una deuda persistente.
Además, este año hay una nueva instancia histórica en la política. Se tratan de las ‘Curules de Víctimas’, un punto que surgió del Acuerdo de Paz en 2016, donde se pretende que quienes han sufrido el rigor de la guerra pudiesen tener presentación en el recinto donde se dirigen las leyes en el país. Pese a que la elecciones de estas 16 curules estuvieron cargadas de escándalos, como la elección del hijo de un paramilitar como ‘victima’, es un hecho que otra docena de mujeres y hombres de los departamentos más afectados por el conflicto tomarán su lugar en el Congreso de la República.
Si bien Colombia ya contaba con unas ‘circunscripciones especiales’ para las poblaciones indígenas y afros, usualmente estos espacios habían estado coptados por los partidos políticos más tradicionales que, como denunciaban activistas, no representaban la agenda de estas comunidades. Para este año fue diferente, llegaron dos mujeres con un gran recorrido en la lucha por los derechos indígenas y afro y se sentaron en el recinto.
Una de ellas es de San Basilio de Palenque y es la primera mujer palenquera en llegar al Congreso de la República. A este municipio que se conoce como ‘el primer pueblo libre de América’ por su proceso de resistencia contra la esclavitud, tiene ahora una ‘hija’ en la cámara de representantes. Cha Dorina, su nombre en su lengua originaria, ganó como parte del Pacto Histórico, una coalición creada por el presidente electo Gustavo Petro, con el fin de juntar diferentes sectores políticos y lograr mayores curules que le representaran un congreso a favor.
Otra figura importante es Aida Quilcue, una lideresa indigena NASA, oriunda del departamento del Cauca, uno de los más violentos del país. Su esposo fue asesinado en 2008 y ella ha liderado la lucha de este pueblo indígena desde que era muy joven. También, este año tomó posesión por primera vez en esta instancia, una persona no binarie, Tamara Argote, sumando puntos en la inclusión de las diversidades sexuales para estos cuatro años en los que Colombia parece tomar otros rumbos, unos más amplios y las voces que siempre han sido acalladas.
Con todas estas nuevas participaciones el paisaje legislativo adquiere nuevas dimensiones, más si se tiene en cuenta que también los exguerrilleros de las FARC que como parte del Acuerdo de Paz tienen diez curules y han dado su apoyo público al presidente electo. Es decir, se sumarían a una eventual bancada que apoye los ambiciosos proyectos de ley que impulsará su gobierno, como son la creación de dos nuevos ministerios: el Ministerio de la Igualdad, que será presidido por su vicepresidente Francia Márquez; y el Ministerio de Paz y Convicencia, donde sería trasladada la figura de la policía nacional.
“Sin paz, no hay democracia”, fue su eslogan que se escuchó a menudo en la campaña electoral. Está posicionado para tratar de construir ambos, pero necesitará mantener este Congreso históricamente diverso de su lado. Si no puede, las expectativas para este momento histórico pueden quedar en el camino.