Colombian Front-Runner Says He'll Declare Emergency if Elected
3h ago
Oscar Medina, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) -- Colombian presidential front-runner Gustavo Petro said he’ll declare an “economic emergency” that would allow him to bypass congress if he wins this year’s presidential election.
Petro, who is leading all major polls ahead of the first-round vote in May, told Blu Radio that the “social catastrophe” of widespread hunger in Colombia justifies such a move.
Ruling by decree would allow his administration to “protect” Colombia’s food supplies by buying crops from farmers and medium-sized producers and subsidize agricultural inputs, he said.
A state of emergency allows a government to approve laws and regulations through decrees without approval from congress for as many as three 30-day periods when there are severe economic, social and environmental risks. The Constitutional Court would need to rule on the legality of the decrees issued under the emergency.
More:
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/colombian-front-runner-says-he-ll-declare-emergency-if-elected-1.1730818