Colombian President Gustavo Petro has urged supporters to take to the streets in a two-day national strike next week, backing what he described as a “popular uprising” in defense of his embattled social reform agenda, after Congress blocked his latest attempt to call a national referendum.
The roiling protests, scheduled for May 28 and 29, were announced by the country’s largest labor federation, the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT), following a fiery speech by Petro in the Caribbean port city of Barranquilla. “If we have to go to an indefinite strike, the president will stand with the people,” said Petro, addressing a packed crowd during a constitutional “open council” forum, or cabildo abierto. “And if they remove me for doing so, a revolution will erupt in Colombia.”
Petro’s comments, delivered on Tuesday, May 20, come amid mounting frustration from his leftist government over congressional resistance to his proposed labor and healthcare reforms. Earlier this month, the Senate rejected a 12-question referendum that would have allowed Colombians to vote directly on key policy changes, prompting Petro to submit a new proposal with 16 questions – four of which address healthcare.
Petro has framed the legislative setback as a betrayal by political elites. “The oligarchy must know that the people now stand against them,” he said. “They were incapable of dialogue, and now they will face the consequences.”
While the government has not officially endorsed the strike, Interior Minister Armando Benedetti confirmed that it would support any demonstrations organized by civil society. Labor and social organizations have taken the lead, with the CUT calling for a “great national strike” on May 28 and 29 to demand a binding referendum and to push forward with the president’s proposed reforms.
Fabio Arias, president of the CUT, said the strike will be followed by additional actions, including a 24-hour protest on June 11 with highway caravans planned in four major cities. “This is about confronting a political class that has rejected the people’s voice,” said Arias. “We must rally the population to make their power felt and defend reforms that serve the common good.”
Petro’s push to reject the legislative process has encountered stiff resistance by lawmakers, where centrist and conservative parties hold the majority. The failed referendum bid marks one of the most important defeats of his presidency, which began in August 2022.
Although Colombia’s Constitution allows for citizen participation through cabildos abiertos and referendums, these mechanisms require congressional approval. Petro accused Congress of subverting democratic processes by refusing to let the public vote. “Why not let the Colombian people decide?” he asked during his address in Barranquilla, which began several hours late after a floral tribute to Liberator Simón Bolívar.
Protesters from labor unions, Indigenous groups, rural collectives, students, and Afro-Colombian communities gathered in the city’s center to back Petro’s call for a popular consultation. Their banners and chants echoed the president’s message: that social justice can no longer be delayed.
Petro has repeatedly stated that his government’s goal is not to impose socialism, but to ensure basic rights and equality. “We are not asking for the moon,” he said. “We only want decent wages, health services, and humane working conditions.”
The concept, however, of a “huelga indefinida” – or indefinite strike – remains vague. The government has not clarified whether such a movement would be supported officially or how it could unleash potential violence on the streets of the Colombian capital given the widespread vandalism during the 2020-2021 Paro Nacional – National Strike – promoted by then Senator Petro.
The coming weeks will prove decisive for Petro’s presidency. With union leaders vowing sustained mobilizations through June 20 and Petro doubling down on his reform agenda, Colombia faces a volatile period of street protests and political uncertainty. As tensions mount, all eyes will be on the May 28–29 strike and whether it generates the momentum Petro needs to revive his stalled reforms – or further entrenches the opposition to his polarizing discourse.
