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Time of India
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Who is Miguel Uribe Turbay, the Colombian presidential hopeful shot at a public rally?
Colombian Presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe shot at Bogotá rally; Shooter arrested Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay was critically wounded during a campaign rally in Bogotá on June 7, 2025. The attack occurred in the Fontibón neighborhood, where Uribe Turbay was addressing supporters when assailants opened fire from behind. He sustained two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the knee. A 15-year-old suspect was apprehended at the scene, armed with a Glock pistol. Two other individuals were also injured during the incident . Who is Miguel Uribe Turbay? Miguel Uribe Turbay, born on January 28, 1986, in Bogotá, Colombia, is a prominent figure in the nation's political landscape. At 39, he is a senator for the right-wing Centro Democrático party and a leading contender in the 2026 presidential race . Uribe Turbay hails from a distinguished political lineage. He is the grandson of Julio César Turbay Ayala, a former president of Colombia, and the son of Diana Turbay, a journalist who was tragically murdered during a rescue operation in 1991. His mother's death, orchestrated by the Medellín Cartel, deeply influenced his worldview and commitment to public service . A graduate in law from the University of the Andes, Uribe Turbay furthered his studies with master's degrees in Public Policy from the University of the Andes and Public Administration from Harvard University . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo His academic background laid a strong foundation for his political endeavors. Uribe Turbay is married to María Claudia Tarazona, and they have a son named Alejandro. Uribe Turbay's political journey began in 2012 when, at 26, he was elected as a councilor for Bogotá. He quickly gained recognition for his leadership, becoming the youngest president of the Bogotá City Council . In 2016, he was appointed Secretary of Government of Bogotá, a position he held until 2018. In 2019, he ran for mayor of Bogotá as an independent candidate supported by various political groups but was defeated by Claudia López. Undeterred, he returned to the political arena and, in 2022, was elected to the Senate as the head of the Centro Democrático's list, receiving the highest number of votes in the country. In March 2025, Uribe Turbay announced his candidacy for the 2026 presidential elections. He positioned himself as a staunch critic of President Gustavo Petro's policies, particularly on issues of security and economic management . His campaign emphasizes restoring order and combating the resurgence of violence in Colombia. As of now, Uribe Turbay, has been taken to the Santa Fe Foundation hospital for emergency neurosurgery. His wife has publicly appealed for prayers, highlighting the gravity of his condition. This incident recalls the tragic history of political violence in Colombia, notably the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán in 1989. The country's political landscape has long been marred by such acts, underscoring the persistent threats faced by public figures.
Washington Post
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Colombia's president sends congress referendum proposal that could overhaul labor laws
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday pressed on with his struggling plan to overhaul the country's labor laws, sending Congress a referendum proposal whose questions for voters include whether workdays should be limited to eight hours and whether workers should receive double pay if they work during holidays. With much of his agenda repeatedly blocked by Congress, Petro is now betting that the same lawmakers who twice rejected his labor reform will allow voters to decide whether they want his proposed changes. Congress has one month to approve or reject the 12-question referendum. Petro, Colombia's first ever leftist president, sought to rally support for his project by participating in a union demonstration in the capital, Bogota, marking Labor Day. 'The people of Colombia want to vote for their fundamental rights, for their dignity,' Petro said before thousands of demonstrators, asking them to not vote to reelect any lawmaker who votes against the referendum. If approved by lawmakers, Petro will have to issue a decree summoning Colombians to the polls within three months. Questions for voters would include whether daytime workdays should end at 6 p.m. and whether open-ended contracts should be offered to workers to prioritize job stability. But overcoming Congress is not Petro's only concern in seeing his project become a reality. He needs referendum participation to exceed 13 million – that's more than the number of votes he obtained to become president – and more than half of those votes must be in favor of his proposal. Analysts agree that Petro has the upper hand in several scenarios, even if Congress does not approve the referendum or if he fails to obtain the necessary votes at the polls. In the former scenario, Sandra Borda, political science professor at the University of the Andes, said lawmakers would give Petro's government the tools to 'play the victim' and strengthen its rhetoric against Congress. 'The message the government has constantly tried to send is that Congress is no longer an entity that represents the interests of the people... but rather defends the interests, as they call them, of the private sector oligarchies,' Borda said. On the other hand, if voters end up going to the polls, the government could consider itself the winner by securing support from its electoral base, said Javier Garay, a political science professor at the Externship University of Colombia. He noted that the referendum's underlying purpose is to test the government's electoral support ahead of the 2026 presidential election. Union members who were among the thousands of people demonstrating Thursday in Bogota expressed support for the referendum. 'The referendum is a vindication of workers' rights, which have been a struggle for decades and were taken away from us by previous far-right governments,' said Jesús Parra, 53, one of the protesters.
Associated Press
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Colombia's president sends congress referendum proposal that could overhaul labor laws
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday pressed on with his struggling plan to overhaul the country's labor laws, sending Congress a referendum proposal whose questions for voters include whether workdays should be limited to eight hours and whether workers should receive double pay if they work during holidays. With much of his agenda repeatedly blocked by Congress, Petro is now betting that the same lawmakers who twice rejected his labor reform will allow voters to decide whether they want his proposed changes. Congress has one month to approve or reject the 12-question referendum. Petro, Colombia's first ever leftist president, sought to rally support for his project by participating in a union demonstration in the capital, Bogota, marking Labor Day. 'The people of Colombia want to vote for their fundamental rights, for their dignity,' Petro said before thousands of demonstrators, asking them to not vote to reelect any lawmaker who votes against the referendum. If approved by lawmakers, Petro will have to issue a decree summoning Colombians to the polls within three months. Questions for voters would include whether daytime workdays should end at 6 p.m. and whether open-ended contracts should be offered to workers to prioritize job stability. But overcoming Congress is not Petro's only concern in seeing his project become a reality. He needs referendum participation to exceed 13 million – that's more than the number of votes he obtained to become president – and more than half of those votes must be in favor of his proposal. Analysts agree that Petro has the upper hand in several scenarios, even if Congress does not approve the referendum or if he fails to obtain the necessary votes at the polls. In the former scenario, Sandra Borda, political science professor at the University of the Andes, said lawmakers would give Petro's government the tools to 'play the victim' and strengthen its rhetoric against Congress. 'The message the government has constantly tried to send is that Congress is no longer an entity that represents the interests of the people... but rather defends the interests, as they call them, of the private sector oligarchies,' Borda said. On the other hand, if voters end up going to the polls, the government could consider itself the winner by securing support from its electoral base, said Javier Garay, a political science professor at the Externship University of Colombia. He noted that the referendum's underlying purpose is to test the government's electoral support ahead of the 2026 presidential election. Union members who were among the thousands of people demonstrating Thursday in Bogota expressed support for the referendum. 'The referendum is a vindication of workers' rights, which have been a struggle for decades and were taken away from us by previous far-right governments,' said Jesús Parra, 53, one of the protesters.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scalded by Colombia row, Latin America treads carefully with Trump
Latin American leaders have canceled a summit to discuss Donald Trump's migrant crackdown, as the region weighs the risks of openly confronting the firebrand US president. Honduras had called an urgent meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to discuss migration after the blazing row between Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro over the weekend. But Honduras was forced to cancel the meeting after no prominent regional leaders apart from Petro confirmed their attendance. The dispute saw Trump rapidly move to enact tariffs and other sanctions on Colombia after Petro blocked the arrival of US military aircraft carrying deported migrants. Within hours, the White House said Bogota had folded to its demands. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied Wednesday that she and other leaders were afraid of invoking Trump's ire. "Our link with Latin America exists, and will continue to exist," she insisted. Yet the fate suffered by Petro appears to have given other leaders cause for reflection. Sandra Borda, professor of political science at the University of the Andes in Bogota, blamed what she described as Petro's ham-fisted diplomacy for the lack of regional unity. - Defying diktats - "The way President Petro launched the conversation with Washington destroyed any possibility of consensus," she said. "Everyone is scared because Washington has bared its teeth and we know what happens when we do not follow the diktats." In a sign of the shift, Honduran President Xiomara Castro, who had threatened to close US military bases if Trump carried out mass deportations, struck a less defiant tone this week. Castro said she was considering chartering flights to bring home Honduran migrants in an "orderly" fashion and called for "dialogue." In Brazil, meanwhile, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was silent on the treatment meted out to a group of migrants who arrived home by plane to his country in handcuffs. Brazil's government summoned the top US envoy to Latin America's biggest economy to explain the "flagrant disregard" for the migrants' rights but crucially did not lay down any condition for accepting more deportation flights. Michael Shifter, senior fellow at the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue think tank, said Latin American leaders were walking a tightrope in the Trump 2.0 era. "On the one hand leaders feel they have to accommodate Trump to some extent. But complete capitulation... without at least taking a stand and drawing some lines is also not good (domestic) politics." - 'Give and take' - Petro's swashbuckling approach to Trump -- in a rambling late-night post on X the former left-wing guerrilla vowed not to bow to "slave drivers" -- contrasted sharply with the measured tone taken by Sheinbaum. Mexico's first female leader has refused to be rattled by months of threats of steep tariffs from Trump, pointing to her predecessor's close relationship with Trump during his first mandate as proof the neighbors can collaborate. Her pragmatic approach has seen her defend Mexicans as the backbone of the US economy while acting to curb illegal migration and drug trafficking. Sheinbaum had managed to straddle the line between "dignity and realism," political analyst Jorge Zepeda Patterson wrote in Milenio newspaper. In a sign of how their tactics have played with voters, Sheinbaum's ratings have soared while Petro was roasted in Colombia, a longtime US ally in the war on drugs, for his rumble with Trump. Colombia's right-wing former president Ivan Duque accused his 64-year-old predecessor of "an act of tremendous irresponsibility." Shifter however rejected Trump's claim of an unconditional Colombian surrender, noting that "there was some give and take," including a stay, at least for now, on US military deportations to the country. Welcoming home migrants repatriated by the Colombian air force on Tuesday, Petro said they were "in their homeland, where they are loved." burs-cb/des
