Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Tuesday that he will call for a national referendum to decide the fate of his controversial health and labor reforms after they were blocked in the Senate. In an escalating confrontation with Congress, Petro argues that the reforms, central to his leftist agenda, should be decided directly by the people.
Petro’s televised address followed a dramatic vote by eight senators from the Seventh Commission, who rejected the labor reform, a centerpiece of his administration. The reform has been criticized by business groups for its pro-union wording, but Petro frames it as a necessary step to reduce poverty and inequality in the country. The rejection of his reform package in the Senate has led the leftist leader to call for mass protests.
In his televised address to the nation, Petro emphasized that the failure to pass these reforms through normal legislative channels represents an “institutional blockade”. He referred to the Senate’s actions as a “dictatorship against the popular vote,” arguing that, when Congress fails to represent the will of the people, it is the duty of the citizens to directly determine the outcome.
“The blockade is a dictatorship against the vote of the people. When that happens, we respond with real democracy,” emphasized Petro from the presidential palace, Casa de Nariño. “The people should decide. Their representatives failed to echo the voice of the people in the 2022 elections.”
By vowing to bring the labor and health reforms directly to voters via a popular consultation, Petro’s push for a referendum undermines the role of Congress and is being seen as a direct assault on the country’s democratic integrity.
According to Colombia’s National Civil Registry, a popular consultation is a legally recognized process that enables citizens to make binding decisions on matters of national importance. The president’s call for a referendum comes after the Senate’s failure to pass the labor reform, which extends worker protections, but has been criticized for its potential to burden businesses already burdened by rising costs and corporate taxes. Petro’s health reform similarly faces staunch opposition given its potential to bankrupt the country’s private healthcare insurers – EPS.
Petro, who cliched power in 2022 with a mandate from left-wing voters, insists that the reforms are in line with the demands of the Colombian people, especially following the violent nationwide protests of the 2021 National Strike – Paro Nacional. “The social unrest of 2021 was calmed by another form of force: the electoral one,” Petro said. “What we presented to Congress is the will of the majority of the Colombian people, seeking changes that are necessary and important.”
While the president’s call for a referendum unleashed a flurry of reactions, some legal experts point out that the Colombian Constitution does not grant the president the authority to approve laws through popular consultations. Petro’s push for a referendum could also deepen a constitutional crisis, facilitating his push for reelection in 2026.
The threat to severe ties with Congress sets a dangerous precedent for governing by executive decree. “I am calling on the people to decide whether they want to be slaves or to be free,” stated the president. “It is the people who must make that decision, and to that end, we have called the people to mobilize.”
Petro’s political opponents accuse him of pushing Colombia toward a dictatorship, ensconced by populist tactics. Scenario that has played out throughout his career, from Mayor of Bogotá (2012-2015) to Senator during the presidency of his predecessor Iván Duque. “Don’t threaten the country,” stated the former conservative president. “We already know you as arsonists and also as ‘firefighters,’ where you have excelled due to your incompetence. We Colombians will not allow you to replace Congress, intimidate the courts, or forcefully impose the destruction of jobs and healthcare on us, all on the back of ideological delusions.”
Duque’s statement echoes House Representative Andrés Forero of the Centro Democrático party. “As the country is falling apart on all fronts, Petro wants to cover up his incompetence with the smokescreen of a referendum that will ultimately leave his reforms in the hands of the Congress he’s trying to demonize,” remarked Forero.
Former presidential candidate and chief peace negotiator with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla, Humberto De La Calle, attempted to ease tensions over Petro’s belligerent statements. “The president’s language is very serious. But it’s also not true that calling a referendum is an attack on Congress and its institutions… the bad thing is the warlike atmosphere,” noted De la Calle.
Even Petro’s former Minister of Agriculture Cecilia López believes that the President has an ulterior motive for mobilizing his base. “What he wants is to advance the presidential campaign of 2026. Petro doesn’t care about the execution of reforms. If he cared about them, we wouldn’t have the indicators we have. He also wants to pressure Congress, which is going against the foundations of democracy,” stated the respected economist on the NTN24 network.
“The decision to defend wealthy interests over the welfare of the people is evident in the Senate’s rejection of the reform,” Petro declared, adding that the majority of Senators sided with “the rich Epulon and not with Jesus, the carpenter.”
As Petro prepares to move forward with the referendum, the future of the health and labor reforms remains stymied in Congress. With a call to protest, the question is whether Colombia can endure another social uprising and genuine security concerns of opposition whom Petro has labeled as traitors. “The VII Commission has betrayed the working people of Colombia. We will try to make the decision reversible, but deception only leads to violence,” warned the president. And any reference to violence, in a country beseiged by violence, sends a very dangerous message.
