COLOMBIA: Facing a 21 percent approval rating, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos shuffles cabinet, replacing his interior, energy, justice, agriculture and environment ministers

Record ID: 417917

  • Title: COLOMBIA: Facing a 21 percent approval rating, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos shuffles cabinet, replacing his interior, energy, justice, agriculture and environment ministers
  • Date: 6th September 2013
  • Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (SEPTEMBER 5, 2013) (REUTERS) COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT JUAN MANUEL SANTOS ENTERING CONFERENCE ROOM MINISTERS ENTERING MINISTERS GREETING EACH OTHER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT, SAYING: "Today, I want to announce to the country the new configuration of the cabinet, a cabinet of unity for peace. For Interior Minister, I've designated Aurelio Iragorri Valencia from Cauca. He will have the challenge to continue advancing an ambitious legislative agenda currently in Congress and to steadily strengthen national unity surrounding our most important challenge, the search for peace." SANTOS AND MINISTERS AT PODIUM SANTOS AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT, SAYING: "In his hands, ministers, is the defence of this administration's work in which we've been working on during these three years. But, even more than that, the preparation of a large phase in the construction of peace in which we will develop the agreements in Havana and continue transforming Colombia into a more just, more modern and more secure country." SANTOS AND MINISTERS AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT, SAYING: "You know that this isn't an easy time. We have challenges that we should face decisively and forcefully. We should learn lessons from the occurrences of these past few weeks." SANTOS AT PODIUM, ENDING SPEECH VARIOUS OF MINISTERS CONGRATULATING EACH OTHER
  • Embargoed: 21st September 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Colombia
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: Domestic Politics,People
  • Reuters ID: LVADNCRRPSU0511AE4TIPUY7PLSZ
  • Story Text: Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos named five new ministers on Thursday (September 5) to strengthen his government ahead of presidential elections next year and after heavy criticism of his handling of a protest in the farming sector that turned violent last week.
    The entire cabinet resigned on Monday, a standard procedure before the president shuffles his cabinet.
    "Today, I want to announce to the country the new configuration of the cabinet, a cabinet of unity for peace. For Interior Minister, I've designated Aurelio Iragorri Valencia from Cauca. He will have the challenge to continue advancing an ambitious legislative agenda currently in Congress and to steadily strengthen national unity surrounding our most important challenge, the search for peace," he said.
    Santos named Aurelio Iragorri as interior minister, saying he had a great challenge before him.
    "In his hands, ministers, is the defence of this administration's work in which we've been working on during these three years. But, even more than that, the preparation of a large phase in the construction of peace in which we will develop the agreements in Havana and continue transforming Colombia into a more just, more modern and more secure country," he continued.
    Santos named Amylkar Acosta as energy minister, Aurelio Iragorri as interior minister, Alfonso Gomez Mendez as justice minister, Ruben Dario Risaralde as agriculture minister and Luz Helena Sarmiento as environment minister. Finance Minister Mauricio Cardenas kept his post as did Defence Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon and Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin.
    Approval for the center-right Santos slumped in the latest Gallup opinion poll taken at the most agitated point of the farm protest last week and as Colombians become weary of scant progress in peace talks with Marxist FARC rebels.
    Santos' public approval more than halved to 21 percent from 48 percent at the end of June.
    The joint resignations came just days after Santos was forced to send troops to patrol the streets of Bogota when farmer-led protests became violent and caused havoc across the capital. The nationwide dispute led to the deaths of five people.
    "You know that this isn't an easy time. We have challenges that we should face decisively and forcefully. We should learn lessons from the occurrences of these past few weeks," he said.
    While Santos has not yet announced whether he will stand for a second term in May, he has said he wants his policies to continue in the next administration.
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