On August 12, the Senate approved, by a vote of 73 in favor and 11 against, a measure allowing opposition leader Gustavo Petro to leave Colombia over the following 12 months without requiring further authorization.
The request was submitted by the former president to Congress on August 10 in a letter, stating that the permission was “to attend to personal, social, political, and academic commitments abroad.”
This is a constitutional requirement established in Article 196, which states that “The President of the Republic, or anyone who has served as Acting President, may not leave the country within one year following the date on which they ceased to exercise their functions without the prior authorization of the Senate.”
The vote was secured with the support of traditional parties and opposition parties to the Historic Pact (Pacto Histórico), Petro’s political party, through an agreement with Centro Democrático, led by former right-wing President Álvaro Uribe, with the sole condition that Petro notify the Senate of the date and destination of each trip.
“I have no formal judicial matters pending in either the U.S. or Colombia. Asking the Senate for permission to travel during the first year is a constitutional requirement that applies to anyone who has served as president,” Petro wrote on his social media.
The decision drew criticism from various political sectors, particularly from the opposition. The votes against it came from the Salvación Nacional caucus, a far-right party that endorsed the candidacy of current President Abelardo de la Espriella; the Cambio Radical caucus, a party that supports the actual government; and Senator Jota P. Hernández of the Alianza Verde party.
Uribe responded to negative reactions from members and supporters of his party in a video posted on his social media: “All former presidents have this permission… This is an institutional party… There is no judicial reason to deny former President Petro this permission… It would infringe upon his fundamental right to freedom of movement.”
“A human being is free and should be able to go wherever they are invited and choose to accept the invitation. I am not under arrest, nor have I committed any crime. The fact that some people do not like me is not a reason to prevent me from deciding whether or not to travel,” Petro said on X.
