This is how Gustavo Petro’s cabinet is looking

After being elected as president, Gustavo Petro has been revealing some of the people who will help him during his presidential term giving indications of what will be a priority in his government.

(Read: These are the salaries that Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez will receive).

The officials, as well as him and his vice president Francia Márquez, will begin their duties next August 7day of the inauguration of the left-wing leader and delivery of the position of Iván Duque.

These are the people who, until now, will hold some of Gustavo Petro’s cabinet portfolios:

The president-elect appointed Patricia Ariza as its new Minister of Culture. “An explosion of culture throughout Colombia for Peace and coexistence,” said the president.

Ariza, 76, is a poet, artist, actress and playwright. She graduated from the Arts at the National University of Colombia and founder of the Teatro de la Candelaria in Bogotá and current director.

“Thank you President Petro for valuing culture and art. Thanks to the artists of this country who give us their support. Thanks to my theater buddies. We will try to ensure that culture and art contribute to peace and inclusion“wrote the next minister.

One of the most anticipated appointments due to the controversial proposals of the leader of the Historical Pact is the Ministry of Finance. In this case, he was chosen Jose Antonio Ocampo who is an economist from the University of Notre Dame (United States), and received a doctorate in Economics and Political Science from Yale University in 1976.

Until now, he works as a professor at Columbia University, in the United States.

The position of Finance Minister would not be foreign to him, since he already held it during the government of Ernesto Samper (1994-1998). Ocampo received the bag from Guillermo Perry. And he was also head of the National Planning Department in that mandate.

Cecilia López will be the Minister of Agriculture in the Petro government. The economist she had led this portfolio during the mandate of Ernesto Samper. She too, she was Minister of Environment and Director of National Planning.

From 2006 to 2010 she was a senator of the Republic and in turn was presidential candidate for the 2010 elections but did not go beyond the Liberal Party consultation.

Between 1985 and 1988 she was the Colombian ambassador to the Netherlands and director of the ECLAC Employment Program between 1988 and 1990.

“I am deeply honored by your assignment to direct one of the great pillars of your proposal: the Colombian countryside. Thank you very much for your trust in me, and I reiterate my unwavering commitment to you, our Colombia and its wonderful people.“, he wrote in gratitude for the appointment.

The political scientist, environmentalist and politician Susana Muhamad will lead the Ministry of the Environment. The current member of the Colombia Humana party studied Political Science at the Universidad de los Andes and did a master’s degree in Management and Planning of Sustainable Development at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.

She accompanied Petro during his campaign for Mayor of Bogotá and after he became mayor, she was an advisor to the office and coordinator of the transversal managers team.

She was also secretary of the environment and general secretary of Bogotá between 2012 and 2015; and councilor of the capital for the period 2020-2023.

Caroline C.orcho was appointed to the Ministry of Health. The official is a political scientist, psychiatrist and researcher in public health and social issues. Previously, she had been vice president of the Colombian Medical Federation where she was the center of several controversies for her position regarding the pandemic measures.

(Also: There will be no Days without VAT in the Petro government, according to Ocampo minhacienda).

She was also president of the NGO South Latin American Corporation.

In addition, he chaired the National Association of Interns and Residents (ANIR). In addition, he worked at the Bogotá Health Secretariat in the district administration of Gustavo Petro.

The first appointment was that of Álvaro Leyva as chancellor. At 79 years old, he has extensive experience in Colombian politics, highlighting his role as Minister of Mines and Energy in the government of former President Belisario Betancourt and for his role as a peace negotiator between the Colombian State and groups outside the law.

“Recover the place in dignity that corresponds to us in the world and Latin American integration, part of the challenge. we will fulfill it“, wrote Leyva after his appointment.

The Education portfolio was left in charge of former Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria. “Its challenges are to achieve public and free higher education. Achieve research-focused public university centers of excellence Substantially increase the number of boys and girls in preschoolPetro wrote about his appointment.

Gaviria studied civil engineering at the Antioquia School of Engineering and did a master’s degree in economics at the Universidad de los Andes. Also, he worked in the National Planning Department and in the Federation of Coffee Growers.

He has a doctorate in economics from the University of California and is the author of several books. He was, in turn, deputy director of Fedesarrollo and the National Planning Department, from 2012 and 2018 he was Minister of Health of the government of Juan Manuel Santos.

In the next government, the person in charge of directing the Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (Dian) will be Luis Carlos Reyes. “We will strengthen the Dian to guarantee maximum tax avoidance and evasion in the country,” Petro wrote after the appointment.

(Also: The challenges of Alejandro Gaviria in the Ministry of Education).

kings is Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Michigan and worked as a professor at the Javeriana University and director of the Fiscal Observatory. In his career, he has been part of the Icfes advisory committee, economist at the Federal Communications Commission, visiting professor of economics at Grand Valley State University, and instructor at Michigan State University.

For this task, Petro chose Luis Ernesto Vargas as the new Colombian representative to the Organization of American States (OAS). The next official has experience as president of the Constitutional Court and magistrate of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

“Thank you Mr President Petro. Although I am very surprised by your vote of confidence, I will make every effort to show the defense of the peace process and a human rights agenda on the debate table with absolute respect for the principle of free self-determination of peoples“Vargas wrote in gratitude to the president-elect.

Petro appointed Luis Gilberto Murillo as the next Colombian ambassador to the United States. The official is recognized for being Sergio Fajardo’s vice-presidential formula in the last presidential elections. Likewise, he has been Minister of Environment, during the government of Juan Manuel Santos, and also Governor of Chocó in two periods.

During the Duque government, Juan Carlos Pinzón served as ambassador and will remain until August 6 after his resignation on June 19.

Petro appointed the Arhuaca leader Eleanor Zalabata Torres as the Colombian ambassador to the UN in New York. She has dedicated her life and effort to defending the rights of the ancestral peoples and ensuring the protection of her territory.

The leader, as an activist, held a special place within the Human Rights Commission of the Tayrona Indigenous Confederation and representative of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples of Colombia.

Additionally, he was part of the delegation of the National Work Table for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Constituent Assembly of 1991 and was part of the first programs and plans in defense of the autonomy of the traditional and organizational authorities of the Arhuaco People in Colombia.

For its part, Patricia Tobon will assume the Victims Unit, led the Ethnic Focus group in the Truth Commission. She is an Indigenous of the Embera people of Colombia and a speaker of two of the dialectal varieties of that people.

In addition, she is a lawyer with legal training in territorial ethnic rights and with specialization studies in Constitutional Law. She has experience in coordinating prior consultation processes, construction of normative instruments and public policies for indigenous peoples, which has allowed her to establish intercultural dialogues with social movements, State entities, international organizations, academia, the private sector, among others. .

Since 2006, according to the website of the Truth Commission, he has served as consultant and advisor to different indigenous, Afro-descendant organizational processeshuman rights organizations, United Nations agencies, and international organizations on issues related to the rights of indigenous peoples.

Throughout her career, she has also carried out actions aimed at defending and promoting the rights of indigenous women. In the Commission, she accompanies and guides the actions of the Department of Ethnic Peoples and the Department of Social Dialogue, specifically with regard to the objective of contributions for Non-Repetition.

Giovani Yule He is a Nasa leader who has been a senior adviser to the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (Cric) that was elected as the director of the Land Restitution Unit. He is part of the Alternative Indigenous and Social Movement (Mais), and was governor of the Huellas reservation in Caloto, Cauca.

In 2021, Yule was one of the main promoters of the indigenous minga that was presented in the country.

The indigenous leader was also in Gustavo Petro’s splicing team.

The Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) awarded Yule recognition for lead the indigenous minga.

Ivan Velasquez Gomez who was auxiliary magistrate of the Supreme Court and UN commissioner, will be the Minister of Defense of the government of Gustavo Petro.

Velásquez was also a commissioner against impunity in Guatemala and an assistant magistrate of the Council of State.

In addition, he coordinated the Investigative Support Commission of the Criminal Chamber and investigated the links between congressmen and paramilitaries.

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With information from EL TIEMPO*