One of the candidates to be the new acting Mayor of Bogota has accused Colombia’s President of stalling the selection, according to local media reports on Thursday morning.
Antonio Navarro Wolff accused the Government of delaying the choice between him, Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo or Maria Mercedes Maldonado, after the President still has not decided on a candidate despite being given the list last Wednesday.
| “There is a process of delay … the president could have taken two days to choose from the shortlist but he has been slow, taking a week and a half to consult” -Navarro |
In December 2013, Inspector General Ordoñez ordered the dismissal of Gustavo Petro as Mayor of Bogota due to “irregularities” while reforming the capital city’s garbage collection system in 2012. On 20 March 2014, President Santos ratified the decision and installed Labour minister Rafael Pardo as interim mayor. He had 10 days from that date to choose a new acting mayor.
MORE: Pardo sworn in as Bogota’s interim mayor
Wolff said that these days the National Electoral Council took the concept to answer the request of the Presidency against the trio was to ” buy time.”
“”There is a process of delay … the president could have taken two days to choose from the shortlist but he has been slow, taking a week and a half to consult,” he said.
So who are they?
Antonio Navarro is an engineer who was secretary during the first few months of Gustavo Petro’s term. Navarro was Mayor of San Juan de Pasto in Nariño, south-west Colombia, Health Secretary and ran in the presidential election of 1994 as well as being Bogota representative in the House.
MORE: 2 out of 3 candidates for next Mayor of Bogota not legally eligible for election
Maria Mercedes Maldonado is the Habitat Secretary, that is dealing with urbanisation and public services, as well as being a lawyer and having a masters in urban planning.
Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, was, until a few weeks ago, general secretary for the Petro administration. Jaramillo chose to leave his position in a show of solidarity with Petro and was succeeded by Hugo Zárate Osorio. Jaramillo was also a Senator, Chamber Representative and the Governor of Tolima, central-western Colombia.
The announcement of the trio comes in the wake of Santos’ controversial “emergency plan” to remedy some of Bogota’s worst problems.
MORE: Santos announces ‘emergency plan’ for Bogota after impeaching mayor
Sources
- Presidente Santos analizará terna de Alianza Verde (El Espectador)
- Santos analizará terna que envió Alianza Verde (W Radio)