Petro’s labour reform referendum suspended by Colombia’s Council of State

President Gustavo Petro has sought to telephone a referendum, successful a determination the absorption accidental violates the constitution.

Colombia’s Council of State has suspended a decree by President Gustavo Petro that sought to telephone a referendum connected a labour reform, citing a deficiency of Senate authorisation.

The determination connected Wednesday comes aft Petro past week bypassed legislative absorption and signed a decree summoning voters to the polls successful August to determine connected the labour reform.

The bundle includes provisions for an eight-hour daytime workday, higher play and vacation pay, and mandatory societal information contributions from transportation app drivers – cardinal societal policies the left-wing person has pushed for.

A bulk of the societal and economical reforms promised by Petro – who was elected successful 2022 connected pledges to close centuries of inequality successful the Andean state – person been rejected by lawmakers.

The decree sparked disapproval from the opposition, which argued that Petro’s decree violates the Political Constitution of Colombia and destroys the separation of powers of the country’s 3 branches of government.

Under Colombian law, the Senate indispensable regularisation connected the advisability of referendums. If the referendum were to beryllium held, each measurement would request to beryllium approved by the bulk of astatine slightest 13.5 cardinal voters, a 3rd of Colombia’s electoral roll, to beryllium valid.

Political opponents besides said the costly referendum was truly aimed astatine boosting Petro’s enactment up of 2026 elections, erstwhile helium cannot question re-election.

Despite the nonaccomplishment to telephone a referendum, the Senate connected Tuesday approved a revised mentation of the labour betterment measure aft extended debate, with 57 votes successful favour and 31 against.

The Senate antecedently rejected the betterment measure successful April, but it was revived aft Petro warned helium would state a referendum to enactment the measurement to a nationalist vote.

The presidency dubbed the measure “a historical measurement toward decent work” successful a station connected X shared by Petro.

Protests were precocious held successful the superior Bogota and different large cities by advocates of Petro, who expressed their enactment for his projected labour reform.

Colombia is inactive reeling from bombing attacks successful the southwest of the state that near 7 dormant and an attempted assassination connected blimpish absorption senator, and statesmanlike hopeful, Miguel Uribe Turbay, which sparked fears the state could instrumentality to its darker days of assassinations and prolonged violence.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies