Colombian President Ivan Duque has met with political opponents and expressed extra optimism than his critics about progress made in direction of calming greater than every week of widespread and generally lethal road protests.
“We had a productive assembly with the coalition of hope, an awesome alternative for dialogue, overcoming variations and with out political point-scoring,” Duque wrote on social media on Friday, referring to the group of politicians.
However opposition attendees mentioned Duque wanted to do quite a lot of work to deal with calls for for motion on poverty, unemployment and ending police violence.
The group “entered talks with President Ivan Duque as opposition and we left as opposition”, mentioned Jorge Robledo, a senator for Colombia’s Dignity social gathering.
“We laid out our factors of view and he laid out his.”
They urged Duque to satisfy with civil society protest organisers.
Peaceable marches happened in Bogota and Medellin, whereas roadblocks throughout the nation slowed meals deliveries, inflicting some costs to rise.
Impeding provides of meals and different objects, reminiscent of oxygen, is rarely justified, Duque mentioned.
“Sure to dialog … however no to roadblocks,” he instructed journalists. “They’re not peaceable as a result of they have an effect on the rights of others.”
‘Two-faced authorities’
The federal government is ready to satisfy on Monday with the nationwide strike committee – made up of unions and different teams – however has mentioned it’s keen to carry the assembly sooner.
Demonstrations started final week within the Andean nation fuelled by outrage at a plan to boost gross sales taxes. That proposal was cancelled however protesters’ calls for now embody a primary revenue and the withdrawal of a long-debated well being reform that opponents have mentioned is simply too obscure to repair inequalities.
The human rights ombudsman has reported 26 folks killed since protests started, however mentioned seven had been unrelated to the marches themselves. Advocacy group Human Rights Watch has reviews of 36 deaths and referred to as police violence “alarming”.
The armed forces justice system mentioned late Thursday a serious has been arrested for alleged murder referring to a protester demise final weekend.
Protest teams are sceptical of dialogue with Duque, saying related talks completed little after the 2019 demonstrations.
The federal government should curb police violence, Inexperienced Social gathering congresswoman Katherine Miranda mentioned.
“The federal government is two-faced. By day, it provides dialogue and conciliation, however by night time, it reveals solely repression,” she instructed Reuters.
One of many protesters’ chief calls for is the disbanding of feared riot police squad ESMAD, which Duque has dominated out.
“Protests will proceed for so long as there isn’t any end result from dialogue,” Francisco Maltes, president of the Central Union of Staff (CUT), mentioned in a video this week.
Some Colombians referred to as for an finish to demonstrations.
“The second the federal government determined to withdraw [the tax reform], well-liked victory ought to have been declared,” Gustavo Petro, a left-wing senator and certain 2022 presidential hopeful, instructed Blu Radio on Friday.
“For the time being, there aren’t any clear goals,” he mentioned.
Poverty and unemployment rose throughout coronavirus lockdowns, deepening entrenched social inequalities. Almost half of Colombia’s 50 million inhabitants had been dwelling in poverty on the finish of 2020, in keeping with authorities statistics.
Talks provide a method ahead, mentioned Edward Rodriguez, a congressman from Duque’s Democratic Middle social gathering.
“The success of the dialogue depends upon listening to everybody,” Rodriguez mentioned. “And that it results in public insurance policies.”
Voters are more likely to carry discontent to the poll field in 2022, the Inexperienced Social gathering’s Miranda added, predicting, “There shall be a change within the nation’s mannequin [of government].”
Duque can’t run subsequent yr, however persevering with demonstrations may damage the possibilities of candidates from his social gathering.
What is going on at protests “just isn’t beneficial for the federal government, nor for its social gathering, nor for its electoral destiny in 2022,” mentioned analyst Sergio Guzman, of Colombia Threat Evaluation.