Petro's party closes ranks to form "firm" opposition to De la Espriella's government

Colombia's ruling party, Pacto Histórico, led by President Gustavo Petro, has declared it will mount a "firm" opposition to the incoming administration of President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella. The party announced that strategic decisions for its congressional bloc, which convenes this Monday, will be made collectively.

"From the Congress of the Republic, we will exercise a democratic, firm, responsible, and alternative opposition, with initiative to rigorously control the Government, present proposals, and contribute to the construction of the majorities that Colombia needs to realize a democratic project of transformations," the party stated in a release. Pacto Histórico will be the largest party in Congress, holding 26 Senate seats and 42 in the House of Representatives.

The party affirmed its commitment to defending President Petro's "progressive legacy" and the reforms enacted during his term. It also pledged to support the rights to participation, organization, mobilization, and social protest as legitimate expressions of democracy. During a public event, former presidential candidate Iván Cepeda proposed that Petro assume the party's presidency after his term ends on August 7, citing Petro's continued role as the "maximum leader of progressivism in Colombia."

Pacto Histórico also urged the new leadership of the Senate and the House, to be elected upon the Congress's installation, to fully guarantee the rights of the opposition, pluralism, and free public deliberation. The party rejected any form of political persecution or exclusion. Key candidates for the Senate presidency include Alfredo Deluque of the Partido de la U and Honorio Henríquez of the Centro Democrático, while Daniel Briceño of the Centro Democrático is the leading contender for the House presidency.