Colombia’s President-elect Juan Manuel Santos plans to divide several ministries which are currently merged with other portfolios when he assumes office on August 7.
The decision followed a meeting between the incoming president and his Partido de la U caucus, at which Santos reportedly asked party congressmen to present a bill to Congress proposing the initiative.
If the bill is passed, the Ministry of Justice and the Interior; the Ministry of Housing, Territorial Development and the Environment; and the Ministry of Health and Work will all be split, so that each area stands as a separate portfolio.
During the meeting, Santos reportedly stressed to Partido de la U legislators that the initiative was a top priority.
Outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe merged several of the ministries to function as they stand now, when he arrived in office in 2002, in a bid to cut down on bureaucracy and make the state run more efficiently.
