By Juan Pablo Penágos Ramírez, EL TIEMPO, March 23, 2023
(Translated by Eunice Gibson, CSN Volunteer Translator)
In an interview with Daniel Coronell, Iván Cepeda was talking about different current subjects, including those most controversial in the 2026 Presidential campaign; among others, whether or not he would convoke a constitutional convention. In the interview he not only verified his loyalty to the political proposals of the current administration, but he also analyzed the corruption crisis, the health care model, and his vision on international relations.
Cepeda, who is leading in several surveys of persons intending to vote, took advantage of the opportunity to request a deeper examination of his career, getting away from the dogmatic labels his opponents customarily attribute to him. “It’s necessary to be more familiar with my political lifetime and the stands I’ve taken,” he said, explaining that his personal experiences have shaped his positions, positions that he considers to be “very much rooted in the reality of this country.”
Four decades of support for Petro
One of the points he made was his verification of his relationship with President Gustavo Petro. Far from distancing himself from the natural wear and tear of the exercise of power, Cepeda stressed his role in the construction of the current administration. “I’ve taken part in this government, I’ve contributed to the elaboration of its policies (. . .) I’m a personal friend of the President, I’ve known him for 40 years, I support him and I defend him,” he stated firmly in the interview.
Nevertheless, that support did not keep him from referring to one of the Achilles heels of the current management: the corruption scandals. The Senator was direct in admitting his discomfort with those episodes, characterizing them as a problem that has permeated institutions historically. “I feel ashamed,” he confessed, adding that, “every administration has to deal with corruption.”
The debate about health care and the economy
Confronting what looks like it’s going to be his administration, Cepeda proposes a structural reform for health care, distancing himself from the idea of completely eliminating private participation, but launching harsh criticism of the management of the funding by certain sectors. For this candidate, the pathway ought to be a mixed model, although he warned about the risks of maintaining the scheme proposed by sectors in the opposition. “Turning over another 50 billón (roughly USD $13,473,580,000 at current exchange rates) to this voracious corruption machine, no more of that,” he announced, referring to proposals by Senator Paloma Valencia.
Regarding his programmatic priorities for a possible “National Agreement”, he enumerated the crucial points that he considers strategic for the nation’s future:
- The frontal struggle against drug trafficking
- Structural combat against corruption
- Implementation of the energy transition
- Our posture for peace and foreign policy
He also responded to criticism of the policy of “total peace”, characterizing the opposition’s allegations as a publicity strategy that lacks a technical foundation. “It’s a bad joke; it shows a bad sense of humor to say that what the country is suffering right now is because of ‘total peace’. That doesn’t survive any serious analysis,” he stressed in his interview with Daniel Coronell.
On the situation in Cuba, the candidate recognized the nature of the island’s regime, noting that it had been erected according to the concept of “the dictatorship of the proletariat”, but he emphasized its historic support of the peace dialogs in Colombia.
On the possibility of convoking a Constitutional Convention, he ruled it out as an immediate priority. In place of that, he insisted that the country requires some minimal consensus on the problems he denominates as “cantados” (obvious) including the crisis in the health care system and regional security.