Colombia's opposition and right

Following a scandal involving the former chief of staff Laura Sarabia and former ambassador to Venezuela Armando Benedetti, Colombia's right-wing forces have increased attacks against the Petro government. Trade unions and progressive sectors are rallying to the defense of the government

Colombia's trade unions will take to the streets on Wednesday, June 7, to declare support for the social reforms proposed by the government of Gustavo Petro. These reforms in health care, labor, and pensions are currently being discussed in the Congress and if passed, will radically transform access to the rights to health, dignified jobs, and dignified retirement.

The mobilizations will take place at a moment of crisis for the government, which is under heavy attack by right-wing forces.

The government came under scrutiny following a scandal involving the former chief of staff Laura Sarabia and the former ambassador to Venezuela Armando Benedetti. Claims of wiretaps, abuse of power have been leveled. The right-wing media has even allaged that the 2022 election campaign of Petro's Historic Pact alliance was funded by drug trafficking groups. Former presidential candidates Rodolfo Hernández, Federico Gutiérrez, and Sergio Fajardo, among other opposition leaders, have fiercely attacked the Petro government and demanded the resignation of the head of state. President Petro and Vice-President Francia Márquez have decisively rejected these charges.

The scandal has given the country's right-wing forces another opportunity to intensify its campaign of destabilization against the Gustavo Petro-Francia Márquez government.

The Petro government was seeking approval for its great reforms to healthcare, labor and pension systems in Congress. On June 5, president of the Chamber of Representatives David Racer suspended debates on these key reforms, arguing that he did not want "external factors" to affect votes.

On May 28, Colombia's weekly magazine Semana, which has been critical of Petro since he was a candidate, published an interview with Marelbys Meza, a former nanny to Sarabia's son, who was fired in January after being accused of stealing a briefcase containing USD 7,000 from Sarabia's apartment. In the interview, Meza accused Sarabia of illegally detaining her and forcing her to take a polygraph or lie detector test. Meza said that she was taken to a basement next to the presidential palace where for four hours she felt "kidnapped and threatened." Meza's interview created controversy in the country and led the Attorney General's Office to open an investigation into the allegations.

On May 31, Attorney General Francisco Barbosa, who was appointed by former conservative President Iván Duque, reported in a press conference that the investigations had revealed that after Meza was interrogated, intelligence services allegedly tapped her phone, using a false police report that linked her to drug traffickers.

Local media reports added Benedetti to the scandal, pointing out that Meza was first a babysitter for Benedetti's children until June 2022 and that she was fired on suspicion of stealing thousands of dollars after a polygraph test detected lies in her explanation.

The reports also focused on the bitter power struggle between 55-year-old Benedetti and 29-year-old Sarabia. The reports detailed that Benedetti was Petro's right-hand man during the campaign and that he had introduced his former secretary Sarabia to Petro. The reports further highlighted that Benedetti, who has a 30-year political career, was not satisfied with his appointment as ambassador to Venezuela, and had clashed with Sarabia over a request for a new posting.

The reports also noted that Benedetti rehired Meza to take care of his children in Caracas after Sarabia sacked her, and flew her on a charter plane. Benedetti said that Sarabia asked him for help to stop Meza from going to the press, while Sarabia alleged that Benedetti leaked the whole story.

On June 2, during a military event, Petro announced the departure of Sarabia and Benedetti. He emphasized that none of his government officials had ordered any illegal wiretapping and pledged to support the inquiry.

"This government respects human rights and does not illegally intercept communications from magistrates, judges, journalists, opponents. We take care of the opponents, nothing can happen to them because they are under our responsibility…Here there can be no stain or doubt that this government is going to repeat the dirt that other governments did…The doors of the palace are open to any investigation, we don't have any fear," said Petro.

On June 4, Semana magazine published heated telephone conversations between Benedetti and Sarabia, in which he was heard threatening her that he would disclose details of alleged illegal financing of Petro's 2022 presidential campaign.

In a conservation, Benedetti hurled insults at Sarabia and complained that he wasn't given the "political space" he deserved after helping Petro win last year's election. He also alleged that he raised almost USD 4 million for the campaign from donors and hinted that some of the money came from drug trafficking groups.

The recordings were widely condemned Benedetti said that the audios were manipulated. "The audios of Semana Magazine have been manipulated. I apologize to president Gustavo Petro and Laura Sarabia for the aggression and the malicious attack that does not come from me," he tweeted.

On the same night, Petro denied that his campaign had received money from people linked to drug trafficking. He also recalled and condemned the inaction of the Attorney General's Office in the face of illegal wiretaps during the Duque government when he was one of the victims.

"An intelligence agency in the Duque government illegally recorded all the conversations made on Zoom during all the months of my campaign and they were published in Semana. They were never able to publish even one minute of conservation where I said something illegal or irregular. The investigation into those interceptions never advanced in the Attorney General's Office; at that time, it was not a scandal that he ‘wiretapped’ us," said Petro in a statement published on Twitter.

He made it clear that no one in the government had ordered telephone interceptions or illegal searches, and the campaign had not received funding from drug trafficking.

"I do not accept blackmail, nor do I see politics as a space for personal favors. I am here only to achieve more social justice in my country. That is what moves and obsesses me. If there are people with a different logic in the government, it is better that they separate themselves from it. I think I understand what is going on in Armando Benedetti's mind. I accept his apologies, but he must explain his words to the Attorney General's Office and to the country," added Petro.

In another tweet, Petro stated that "this is a soft coup attempt to stop the fight against impunity" by his political rivals.

Meanwhile, Vice-president Márquez criticized the opposition for manipulating the people by using the media against the government.

"It was expected that the right-wing was not going to sit still and watch how we govern in favor of Change for Colombia. All their lives, they have manipulated and deceived the people to stay in power. That is their modus operandi. President Gustavo Petro, we stand firm with you and with Colombia. I have had the opportunity to see during these months of government how all your actions are focused with honesty and transparency on social justice, peace and welfare for all Colombians. Let's continue moving forward, the people do not give up," she tweeted.

In recent years, progressive governments across Latin America have been facing increasingly aggressive attacks from the conservative opposition sectors and a politicized mass media and justice system. Petro's government, which wishes to consolidate structural changes in favor of the society and threatens capitalist interests, is no exception.