“Reforms that do not have consensus do not pass (…), the Senate is not a notary of government initiatives”: Efraín Cepeda

Efraín Cepeda declared that while he will preside over the Senate of the Republic, he will not be a “notary of government initiatives”. At a recent event at the National Congress of Entrepreneurs, Fenalco Cepeda emphasized that government reforms will not be approved without prior consensus with the Congress of the Republic.

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The President of the Senate assured that the country has an “upright Senate of the Republic”. who rejected a budget containing tax reform that he said would negatively affect all sectors of the economy. Cepeda confirmed that the Senate will not approve reforms that have not been previously discussed and agreed upon with Congress.

In his statements, the congressman specifically pointed to the tax reform, which the government tried to include in the state budget without adequate discussion. “Congress said no, the third and fourth committees of the Senate said no, and today the general budget of the nation has collapsed because they wanted to prescribe to us, as if we were notaries of the executive branch, a tax reform that is not in the interest of the country,” Cepeda said.

The Senate President insisted that as long as the reforms were discussed amid council and consultation, they would be willing to discuss them. However, if the Senate is to act only as a notary approving what is presented to it, they will not agree.

Cepeda also mentioned that there is no consensus with the new healthcare reform, although the government has indicated that this time dialogue and agreement with the parties will be sought. The lack of consensus on this reform is another example of the firm stance of the Senate under Cepedo’s presidency.

In fact, this is not the first time that Cepeda has assured that the Legislature will not act as the notary public of the Executive. In an interview with Week He assured that the Minister of the Interior of Juna, Fernando Cristo, spoke with them about “healthcare reform and told us that there is a proposal. We asked him to share it with us so we can learn about it and study it on the bench so we know what to do. If there is a match, we can go forward, but without filing, and we won’t act as notaries because that’s not how we operate. This attitude will apply to all reforms,” ​​he assured.

Efraín Cepeda was elected President of the Senate at a key moment for the social reforms proposed by the government of Gustavo Petra. The election of Cepeda, a 74-year-old economist from Barranquilla, took place on July 20, 2024 at the plenary session of the Senate, where he received 97 votes in favor.

Cepeda, a conservative politician with a long history in Congress, where he served nine terms, assumed the presidency of the Senate for the 2024-2025 term.

The relationship between Efraín Cepeda and President Gustavo Petr has been in the spotlight due to several previous conflicts. Although Cepeda did not directly oppose Peter, he expressed his independence and assured that he would offer guarantees to all political parties, including the opposition. However, he harshly criticized the president regarding the positions he holds with complete composure and the state’s finances.

In the same interview with Week He assured that peace is possible, but “only groups that will really show the will and stop dealing with those who don’t have it and use the bilateral ceasefire to strengthen themselves and continue to commit crimes.” There are criminals who impersonate authorities in some cities, carry out armed strikes and continue to restore drug trafficking routes and are involved in this business.

I point out that there is an “imbalance, because several armed groups use them, such as Mordisco, to rumble, continue to commit crimes, to further put the population on the ropes and extort, while the public force has to respect the cease fire. It is worth doing an examination to determine which ones we have left. The popular saying is that he who covers a lot does little and that can happen to Peter.’