The president of Colombia’s House of Representatives on Monday threatened to withhold lawmakers’ salaries if they fail to sufficiently show up in Congress.
A day before suspending Tuesday’s plenary session allowing representatives to watch the national team’s soccer match against Chile, House President Augusto Posado scolded his colleagues for having only approved two bills in the first six weeks of this parliamentary year.
“Those who do not show up simply will not be able to claim their salary,” Posado threatened.
According to the House president, the high absence rate of Representatives has frustrated voting rounds because there weren’t enough legislators present for a full vote.
Green Party Representative Alfonso Prada told newspaper La Vanguardia that “there is no way to justify absence because this is what we get paid for.”
A typical Colombian congressman’s salary is approximately $12,000 annually.