Saturday, August 22nd 2026 - 08:40 UTC
The presidency's legal secretary, Andrés Barreto, said the initiative “encroaches on exclusive powers of the national government, such as barring the government from organising public employment.”
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella this week objected to the first bill sent to him for signature since he took office on August 7: legislation prohibiting any reduction in the minimum education and experience requirements for senior positions in the public sector and in companies with state participation.
The text, registered as bill 056 of 2024 in the Chamber of Representatives, was promoted by Hernán Cadavid, now a senator for the Centro Democrático, a party within the coalition backing the government, and had been approved by both chambers. The executive returned it to Congress on grounds of unconstitutionality and inadvisability, and asked that it be shelved or revised.
The presidency's legal secretary, Andrés Barreto, said the initiative “encroaches on exclusive powers of the national government, such as barring the government from organising public employment.” He also argued that Decree Law 770 of 2005 already sets mandatory minimum thresholds for such posts, making the new rule redundant, and that requiring three prior stages before each appointment — studies by the entity, by the public administration department and a binding opinion from the Council of State — “will paralyse the formation of management teams, delaying by months the execution of projects that are a priority for the country.”
