Colombia's government transition to occur in two stages, says VP-elect

Colombia's government transition will unfold in two distinct phases, running from July 3 to July 27, according to Vice President-elect José Manuel Restrepo. He stated that the process will utilize sectorial committees to gather and review information from the outgoing administration.

Restrepo and his team met with representatives of the current government at the Casa de Nariño, the executive headquarters, to formally initiate the transition. Notably, neither President Gustavo Petro nor President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, who represent opposing ideological viewpoints, are expected to participate directly in this process. The first stage will focus on collecting detailed information about the state's current situation, followed by a second stage of general reviews and inquiries conducted by sectorial committees.

"This is a firm process where we will not fail to conduct reviews, investigations, alerts, and actions that we must take regarding information about the different state entities," Restrepo assured. He previously served as Minister of Finance between 2021 and 2022 under the government of Iván Duque.

Furthermore, Restrepo urged the current Petro administration not to submit its recently announced tax reform bill to Congress. He argued that such a fiscal adjustment proposal should be the responsibility of the incoming government. This formal transition process marks a significant moment, as it will be the first time it occurs without a direct meeting between the outgoing and incoming presidents.