Former mayor of Bogotá and presidential candidate Claudia López supported the response of representative Lina María Garrido (Cambio Radical) during the installation of the fourth and final legislature on July 20.
"Representative Lina Garrido's 15-minute, forceful response to President Petro's two-and-a-half-hour speech at the inauguration of the last legislative session of the Congress of the Republic on July 20th," stated López, who reiterated his disappointment at having supported Gustavo Petro during his campaign.
"Eleven million Colombians gave a vote of confidence for a change that was and is necessary for inclusion and social justice for the majority. Three years later, the largest party in Colombia is that of those disappointed with the change that should have been made but didn't happen," he said.
In this regard, he noted that the Executive branch has failed to keep its promises."Getting Colombia out of misgovernance and unfulfilled promises will be difficult, but not impossible."
And finally, he said:"We are unstoppable in recovering the health and safety that were lost, in providing the education, jobs, and care that weren't provided, and in governing with the honesty, experience, and results that weren't available."
Garrido's speech
One of the replies to Gustavo Petro during the opening of Congress was delivered by Lina María Garrido, a House representative for Cambio Radical. Several of the moments in which the Araucanian woman confronted the president captured the attention of those in attendance and the public at large.
Garrido acknowledged that she voted for President Petro in the 2022 elections, although in recent years she has distanced herself and has become one of the most critical voices of this government in the House of Representatives.
“Unlike those in this response, I voted for you, like 11 million Colombians. We did so because we were tired of promises that hadn't been fulfilled. Today, three years later, there's nothing to show for it, no achievements to show for it. You betrayed Colombia,” he said.
In his speech, he also reminded President Petro of the corruption scandal involving the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UGRD), which originated within his administration and spread to Congress with alleged payments to Andrés Calle and Iván Name, former presidents of the House and Senate, to facilitate social reforms.
Along those lines, he told her:"I see the painting you have of a child from Palestine in the Casa de Nariño, and we all stand in solidarity with the cause. But I'm going to give you a painting of the children of La Guajira waiting for drinking water. So that when you see it, you'll remember that your government used them while that money was stolen from you."
