The uproar at the Casa de Nariño over Benedetti's appointment as the President's replacement: What happened? / In secret

This Friday, it was revealed that Armando Benedetti would be the minister in charge of presidential duties during Gustavo Petro's trip to China. However, the president asserted that this was not true, despite the existence of a decree to that effect. The reason for the change of heart is that the legal advisors at the Casa de Nariño (Narino House of Representatives) failed to realize that the Minister of the Interior could not be a delegate, since the law clearly states that he must be from the same party, and he is not a member of the Colombia Humana party. The responsibility once again fell to Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo.

As soon as they left office, Diego Guevara (former Minister of Finance) and Gustavo García (former Deputy Minister of the Interior) joined the race to lead Asocapitales. However, given the lack of organization and internal conflicts in the process, they decided this week to withdraw their bid to replace Luz María Zapata. It is still unclear how the new executive director will be selected or what the new terms of the position will be.

The Supreme Court of Justice ordered the arrest of Congressmen Iván Name and Andrés Calle on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in the UNGRD scandal. The order was issued around noon. At the same time, the House of Representatives was beginning a political oversight debate on the situation with the National Firefighters' Fund. Several representatives drew attention to the poor attendance at the session. The body has 186 seats, and not even 60 of them were filled that day. Several questioned the impact the arrest had on the members' morale, especially since several of them have also been implicated in this and similar scandals.

Regarding Health Minister Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, rumors are growing within the Historic Pact that he will soon resign to run for the presidency. The only thing holding him back is his intention to secure a replacement. Reports say he has asked President Petro to retain the current Health Superintendent, Helver Giovanni Rubiano, in his place. He has also reportedly requested that someone close to him be retained in the department. Jaramillo has been gaining influence within the government. He has at least three players in the president's inner circle: the director and deputy director of the DAPR (National Health Department) and the new legal secretary.

The government is confident in its financial resources to approve the referendum. Since it is a simple majority, they assert they have the minimum number of votes for the Senate to approve the call to the polls. They are even confident that the arrival of a Liberal quota member in the government, in the Ministry of Commerce, will allow them to secure the support of that sector. However, this Friday, former President Gaviria asked the Senate not to approve the call to the polls. Furthermore, he asserted that the potential new minister does not have the support of his party.

While the future of the referendum is being decided, the Historic Pact is beginning discussions for the 2026 elections. They still have to complete the process of becoming a single party, but there is already a fight to define the Senate and House lists. Some believe it should be done as in previous years, with the leaderships defining the order of candidates. Others argue that a referendum should be held in October to serve as a primary, with the top vote-getters leading the list for the March elections.