from China, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced his intention to push forward with a popular consultation, a mechanism enshrined in the Constitution. This time, the consultation will include a question regarding the price of medications in the country.

President Petro stated on X, formerly known as Twitter:

That is why I present on Monday the Popular consultation With a new question: that the price of medicines in the country down and allows the State to buy and produce the essential medicines and those of the main diseases suffered by people.

Critics argue that this move is largely rhetorical, as the government already possesses the authority to regulate drug prices, a power it held even before the Constitution of 1991.

Political Maneuvering Amidst Legislative Battles

President Petro’s persistence with the popular consultation comes despite ongoing legislative battles. Congress has revived the labor reform, potentially approving it before July 20. Furthermore, the Senate recently rejected his call for a consultation, a decision influenced by the absence of two congressmen from the Past Pact during the vote. The sheer scale of a successful consultation, requiring over 13 million voters and a majority “yes” vote on each question, also presents a critically important hurdle.

The underlying motivation for President Petro’s insistence on a popular consultation is speculated to be political.Some observers beleive Petro, seen as being in a perpetual campaign, aims to leverage citizen mobilization to his advantage. Resources have reportedly been allocated to promote the “yes” campaign, potentially turning the consultation into a platform to gauge political strength ahead of the 2026 elections.The Comptroller estimates the cost of such a mechanism could reach 700 billion pesos.

related Article: Petro will convene popular consultation “so that the people be the one who approves labor and health reforms”

Campaigning with Public Funds?

Senate President efraín Cepeda explicitly accused the governance of using public funds for political gain, stating:

They what they want is that the ‘yes’ committees serve as a springboard to screw themselves into power, with the money of Colombians.

Efraín Cepeda, President of the Senate

Experts suggest the strategy focuses on shaping the narrative around President Petro’s pronouncements rather than engaging in substantive debates. Humberto Librado, a political scientist and professor at Javeriana University, identifies two key aspects:

• Strengthening electoral capacity: The president views this battle as crucial for reinforcing his position in future elections.
• Consolidating a legacy: The labor issue is central to establishing a lasting impact from his administration.

Constitutional lawyer Andrés Úsuga clarified that there are currently no legal restrictions preventing the president from repeatedly proposing popular consultations, even if they challenge Congress.

Former Health Minister Weighs In

Alejandro Gaviria, former Minister of Health and Education, who oversaw drug price regulation starting in 2012, shared his perspective. He noted:

We made four rounds of price regulation. Thousands of medications were controlled with an estimated savings of the system, at the time, between 1 and 2 billion pesos per year; the Duke government continued and recently the government of President Petro made some adjustments in a circular that they published a few months ago.

Alejandro Gaviria, Former Minister of Health and Education

Gaviria questioned the necessity of the proposed consultation, stating:

Why is it planned to put that question to the consultation when it is indeed not necessary? It is as if one wanted to put the question, expect people to vote affirmatively, when asking it to take that question to congress, convert the question into a law, when the law already exists. That is, it is like a non -absurdityless sense.

Alejandro Gaviria, Former Minister of Health and Education

Gaviria, once a supporter of Petro, now views the government as strategically exploiting the medicine shortage and high prices for political advantage. He argues that access to medicines, not price, is the more pressing issue:

The high prices of medicines are not today the most priority or more prominent problem of this issue. The problem is the lack of access.Health system problems are leading to many people not to receive their medicines and I think the government is aware that this problem – by the definance of the system and chaos in the intervened EPS – is having a political cost.

Alejandro Gaviria, Former Minister of Health and Education

He concludes that the government aims to deflect political problems stemming from systemic issues by appearing concerned about medicine prices.

Related article: “He has only to lie to the failure”: Alejandro Gaviria’s response to President Petro