SEMANA learned that there is annoyance in the government of President Gustavo Petro over what happened in the Senate Plenary, where Carlos Camargo was elected as the new magistrate of the Constitutional Court.
Although the Executive Branch supported María Patricia Balanta's candidacy through the Historic Pact faction, the opposition ultimately prevailed and she was defeated.
For that reason, the director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency (Dapre), Angie Rodríguez, was responsible for requesting the resignations of three members of the ministerial cabinet.
The request was made to the Minister of Labor, Antonio Sanguino; the Minister of ICT, Julián Molina; and the Minister of Commerce, Diana Morales.
Likewise, SEMANA learned that the requested resignations will be accepted immediately and that new appointments will be made to those portfolios. The final decision will be in the hands of Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, who is taking on presidential duties due to President Gustavo Petro's trip to Japan.
Although the underlying details are still unknown, the political explanation for the resignation request can be explained by the fact that Diana Morales, Minister of Commerce, represents a sector of the Liberal Party that ultimately supported Camargo for the Constitutional Court.
President Gustavo Petro appointed Morales to that Ministry on June 4, so he was only in charge of that portfolio for three months.
Likewise, Julián Molina, Minister of ICT, represents another group within the U Party that would also have leaned towards Camargo, and that bothered the Petro Government.
Molina's arrival to the Government was made official on March 13 through the decree issued, and he was in that portfolio for nearly six months.
Regarding Antonio Sanguino, close to the Green Alliance, it is known that some senators from that sector did not support Balanta and that is why the decision was made to ask for his resignation.
Sanguino landed in the Executive on February 18 and replaced Gloria Inés Ramírez in that portfolio.
The three ministers were already notified of the decisions taken minutes after the events of the Senate Plenary Session and must submit their resignation letters immediately so Armando Benedetti can make the final decisions.
Although President Petro is out of the country, he was informed of the incident and authorized Benedetti and Rodríguez to request the resignations of those three ministers. Upon his arrival, the president will have to name the people who will assume those positions.
Despite the efforts of the Petro government, the votes for Balanta (41 votes) to be elected to the Constitutional Court were not enough, and the Plenary Assembly elected Camargo as a new member of that court with 62 votes.
Camargo is a former public defender. He holds a PhD and Master's degree in Law, specializing in Administrative Law from Sergio Arboleda University, and has studies in Human Rights and International Law from American University.
In addition to serving as the Ombudsman, Camargo was executive director of the National Federation of Departments.
Before discussing the resignations of these ministers, Armando Benedetti sent a message to Carlos Camargo through his X account.
"Congratulations to Carlos Camargo for his campaign and his election as the new Constitutional Court judge. We trust that he will be a faithful guardian of the Constitution. Success," the Interior Minister wrote on Wednesday.
