Colombian President Santos announced Monday he will appoint Liberal Party leader Rafael Pardo to lead the country’s newly formed Labor Ministry, an office that was dissolved by the previous administration.
Santos announced the Pardo’s appointment the same day the country’s statistics agency announced the lowest unemployment rates in the last 14 years.
According to Santos, the Liberal Party leader “will officially be sworn in as minister the beginning of next week.”
Pardo told the press his main focus will be to create “more and more jobs,” stressing these jobs should be “dignified jobs.”
The new minister studied economy at Bogota’s Andes University. He took over the leadership of the Liberal Party of former President Cesar Gaviria before running against Santos in the 2010 presidential elections. After years of opposition against the administration of President Alvaro Uribe, Pardo brokered the inclusion of the Liberal Party in Santos’ “coalition of national unity.”