Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos appointed two new members to his cabinet, the minister of the interior and the minister of agriculture, according to the office of the presidency.
President Santos named one of the architects of the Victims Law and former president of Congress, Juan Fernando Cristo, to the post of minister of the interior while appointing his predecessor, Aurelio Iragorri Valencia, as the minister of agriculture.
According to Santos, Cristo was appointed his position because of his “very rich history in public life.”
“He was one of the architects of the Victims and Land Restitution Law and a believer in the need for peace in this country, and a person who manages affairs of Congress with much skill,” said the Colombian head of state.
As for Valencia, Santos said, “I’m sure he is going to play a very important roll.”
“The minister of agriculture will be extremely important in the next four years, because we are going to concentrate much of our efforts on budget and public policy,” added Santos.
In addition to appointing the two ministers, the Colombian head of state also appointed the former High Presidential Adviser on Gender Equality, Cristina Plazas, as the new director of the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF).
“She has been a person very interested on this issue of child development (…) Early childhood is the most important social and profitable investment that any country can have,” said Santos.
With the earlier appointments of Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin and Finance Minister Mauricio Cardenas, President Santos’ cabinet for his second term in office has now been configured, according to Colombia’s W Radio.