$Unique_ID{COW00925} $Pretitle{226} $Title{Colombia Cesar Gaviria President of Colombia} $Subtitle{} $Author{Embassy of Colombia, Washington DC} $Affiliation{Embassy of Colombia, Washington DC} $Subject{minister age president colombia gaviria assembly reform elected international judicial} $Date{1990} $Log{} Country: Colombia Book: Colombia Today Author: Embassy of Colombia, Washington DC Affiliation: Embassy of Colombia, Washington DC Date: 1990 Cesar Gaviria President of Colombia Colombian voters elected Cesar Gaviria, a 43-year old economist and Liberal Party candidate, as President of the Republic on May 27, 1990. President Gaviria was inaugurated on August 7, to become the youngest President of Colombia in this century. A Finance Minister and Minister of Government in the previous administration, President Gaviria is promoting the changes, adjustments and reforms necessary to guarantee that the economy will be dynamic, efficient and open to international markets. Since taking office, he has introduced measures to streamline foreign trade regulations and encourage foreign investment. At the same time he has announced plans to strengthen the judicial system, and has called for world support in the fight against drug trafficking. President Gaviria's choice of cabinet ministers projects youth - the average age is 48 - and a high degree of economic expertise. His appointments include members of other political parties, and reflect an emphasis on governing with a broad consensus. Excerpts from the Inaugural Address Bogota, August 7, 1990 A Mandate for the Future Today, we Colombians do not wish to restore the past or to gaze on it with nostalgia: we want the future. The building of that future for our children and for coming generations constitutes our mandate. The triumph of the ideas of reform and changes through the elections of this year lays the first stone upon which we will build the future. The rest of the work is yet to be done... This is not an easy task. But Luis Carlos Galan stated it well: "Change must be earned; it is never free." Multilateral Action on Drug Matters Narcoterrorism is today the main threat against our democracy. We have opposed it without concessions. Though narcoterrorism is our problem, and narcotrafficking threatens our democratic institutions, the latter is an international phenomenon that may only be solved with the joint action of all affected countries. No success will be possible in this field if consumer countries do not drastically reduce demand. Repetition of this statement is never unproductive, because our destiny demands the solidarity of all countries: No nation has paid as high a price as Colombia in the fight against narcotraffic's criminal organizations. Judicial Reforms We shall raise the level of the judicial branch of public power to recover its dignity, its legitimacy, and above all, its efficacy... We shall ensure the autonomy of the judicial by means of appropriate administrative and directive organizations that will allow greater progress to be made in this field... Together with the strengthening of justice, constitutional reform also seeks to consecrate, protect and effectively guarantee human rights. The Constituent Assembly We must create new participation and reform mechanisms, such as the plebiscite, Constitutional Assembly and referendum to involve citizens in the decision making of the State that most interests and affects them. We need a vibrant democracy and active citizens... One of the main tasks of the Constitutional Assembly will be to reform Congress to make it a true expression of political pluralism and a counterbalance to the Executive power... The modernization of the fiscal control shall be another great mission of the Constitutional Assembly... Reform of the political parties is another of the commitments we have with democracy and change. The Productive Revolution My responsibilities, my commitment, is to prevent Colombian youth; so full of hope and willingness to work, from being trapped in backwardness and injustice. We shall transform the Colombian economy initiating a true productive revolution. Although we have faced the problem of external debt with greater fortune and are, perhaps, the only country of Latin America where real income of workers grew each year in this last decade, we can do more. Labor We will use contractual mechanisms among workers, entrepreneurs and the State, along with a total reform in the labor regime aimed at eliminating obstacles that have been created, in order to modernize our productive sector, to increase growth and to ensure fair labor conditions. An International Economy We should take a step forward in the internationalization of the Colombian economy. This process includes the reform of the State, modification of the foreign investment regime, the transformation of PROEXPO into an export bank, modification in the operation of the foreign trade institutions, modernization of land transportation and the port system, recovery of the railroad network, and the reduction of the air and shipping rates. Only nations that export are able to overcome their crises. The economic opening is just that: a dynamic modernization process supported by the growth of exports destined to obtain a place for us in the world market. Private Foreign Investment The complement of the economic program is a strategy of encouragement to private investment. At the same time we shall reform the Exchange Law which has provided the country with a framework that has contributed substantially to the development of foreign trade and exchange stability. This change is required by the development of our foreign trade, as well as of our financial, commodities and service markets. International Relations The internationalization process of our economy also requires that we expand our view of international policy, taking into account economic and commercial priorities. Colombia has modified its international role during the last administrations whereby the country has diversified its relations and gained autonomy with respect to the principal powers. We shall maintain this policy and defend the basic principles of peaceful coexistence: the self-determination of peoples, non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States, instruments of peaceful solution to conflict and political pluralism on our continent. Regional Relations I would like to reiterate my conviction of the need to create a Latin American forum to deal with political and economic issues and to act as interlocutor with respect to the principal figures in international politics. The formation of blocks as a characteristic of international politics and growing interdependence among nations requires Latin America to strengthen its negotiating power vis-a-vis the rest of the world by means of unified criteria and joint actions. European Relations We are confident that the formation of a single market will constitute an opportunity and not an obstacle to our exports. We likewise trust that the technical agencies of the EEC will ratify the political decisions of the Council of Presidents and Heads of State to allow greater access for our products. United States Relations We hope to be able to advance the "Initiative for the Americas" formulated by President George Bush, which would become the most significant historical shift in relations between the United States and Latin America. We also await the submission of the bill announced by President Bush on matters concerning the special and transitory preference regime for certain exports from Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Protection of the Environment I would like to express our concern for a subject of undeniable importance to mankind: the protection of the environment. Our forest reserves in areas such as the Amazon are considered the lungs of the world. We shall take pertinent measures to avoid an ecological disaster of ominous consequences for the whole planet, but we cannot be asked to incur elevated costs to repair damages caused by industrial nations that are ecologically indebted to humanity. The Cabinet Minister of Government JULIO CESAR SANCHEZ Age: 59 Lawyer, Congressman Senator, Public Administrator Mayor of Bogota Governor of Cundinamarca Manager, Bogota Telephone and Bus Enterprise Former Presidential Press Attache Minister of Foreign Affairs LUIS FERNANDO JARAMILLO Age: 55 Civil Engineer, Economist Former Minister of Public Works Administrative Manager and Consultant, Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, D.C. Manager, Bogota Telephone Company Manager, Agrarian Reform Institute Economic Advisor, National Association of Manufacturers (ANDI) Minister of Transportation and Public Works JUAN F. GAVIRIA Age: 50 Civil Engineer General Manager, Acerias Paz Del Rio Manager and Member of the Board of Directors of various private enterprises Mayor of Medellin Director, Economic Research Center of Antioquia Minister of Communications ALBERTO CASAS Age: 46 Lawyer, Congressman, Senator Member of the Colombian Delegation to the UN General Assembly Councilman, Bogota Deputy, Cundinamarca Assembly Newspaper Columnist, El Siglo President of a private advertising agency Minister of Finance RUDOLF HOMMES Age: 47 Various positions with the Finance Ministry Advisor, Monetary Board of the Central Bank Consultant, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank Member of the Board of Directors of PROEXPO and various banks and corporations Minister of Economic Development ERNESTO SAMPER Age: 40 Lawyer, Economist, Senator Councilman, Bogota Deputy, Cundinamarca Assembly President, National Association of Financial Institutions Minister of Labor FRANCISCO POSADA Age: 60 Lawyer, Congressman Former Ambassador to the United States Former Minister of Justice Governor, Atlantico Member of the Board of Directors of various enterprises Minister of Agriculture MARIA SINTES DE RESTREPO Age: 39 Economist Former Vice-Minister of Public Works Executive Vice-President, Acerias Paz Del Rio Manager, Transport Finance Corporation Assistant, National Planning Department Minister of Mines and Energy LUIS F. VERGARA AGE: 45 Mechanical Engineer General Manager, Cementos del Valle Various other positions in private industry. Minister of Education ALFONSO VALDIVIESO Age: 41 Lawyer, Economist, Congressman, Senator International Editor, El Tiempo Various public sector positions Consultant to private enterprise Minister of Health ANTONIO NAVARRO Age: 42 Environmental Engineer, Economist Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Valle University Resigned; replaced by Camilo Gonzalez Minister of Justice JAIME GIRALDO Age: 51 Lawyer, Economist. Educator Supreme Court Justice Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Minister of Defense GENERAL OSCAR BOTERO Age: 56 Former Minister of Defense General Chief of Staff Commander of the Armed Forces The National Government The Constitution The Republic of Colombia has a democratic form of government, with public power divided among three branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Colombia's present Constitution dates from 1886, although it has undergone substantial revisions since then. The Constitution guarantees private property rights. Civil rights and social guarantees include freedom of education, the right to strike (except in the public sector), public aid to those unable to support themselves, freedom of assembly, of the press, and the right to petition. Under the Constitution, women have equal political rights as men. Suffrage is exercised by all citizens over 18 years old. The Executive Branch The Executive Branch of the Government consists of the President, his Cabinet, the heads of the Administrative Departments, and a number of Autonomous Agencies. The President is elected every four years by direct national vote and cannot succeed himself. There is no Vice President; instead a presidential alternate called Designado is elected by Congress. Administrative Divisions Colombia is divided for administrative purposes into 23 departments ("states"), 4 territorial districts ("intendencias"), 5 special districts ("comisarias") and the Special District of Bogota. The President of the Republic appoints a Governor to head each Department and to act as agent of the national government. Each Department elects its legislature, which has administrative and financial responsibilities. Within each Department are the Municipalities, headed by Mayors and governed by an elected municipal council. Under a recent constitutional reform, Mayors are now elected by popular vote. Legislative Branch Legislative power is exercised by a Congress composed of a 114 member Senate and a Chamber of Representatives with 199 members, all of whom are elected for four year terms on the basis of proportional representation based on vote count. Regular sessions of Congress are held each year from July to December. Judicial Branch Colombia has had a single national court and legal system since 1886. The highest court of judicial review is the Supreme Court. Supreme Court justices are selected by other members of the court and by judges of superior tribunals. Circuit courts and municipal court judges in each judicial district are selected by higher courts. The Council of State acts as the highest review body in matters involving constitutional law. Political Parties Since the middle of the 19th century Colombia's two major political parties have been the Liberal and Conservative Parties. All but one of Colombia's presidents have been elected from the Conservative or Liberal Parties since the adoption of the 1886 Constitution. President Gaviria Biography Born in Pereira, Risaralda in 1947, Cesar Gaviria graduated as a major in economics from the University of the Andes. At the age of 23, he was named director of planning of his native province, Risaralda. Later, he served both as a City Councilman as well as the Mayor of Pereira. At 31, Mr. Gaviria was appointed Vice Minister of Development of Colombia. Two years later, he was elected to the House of Representatives and named Chief of the Economics Commission. When the Liberal Party came to power in the election of 1986, he was appointed Minister of Finance by President Virgilio Barco. He left the Barco administration in 1989 to become chairman of Luis Carlos Galan's presidential campaign. President Gaviria is married to Ana Milena Munoz, a Colombian economist. They have two children, Simon, age 9, and Maria Paz, age 7. Elections - 1990 The 1990 presidential campaign and election was a tribute to the strength of Colombia's democracy - the oldest in Latin America. Mr. Gaviria became a national candidate following the assassination of the former presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan in August, 1989. Mr. Gaviria had served as chairman of Senator Galan's campaign. The President's victory was a solid one. He received 47.5 per cent of the vote, twice the percentage of his nearest rival, Conservative Alvaro Gomez. The third in balloting was Antonio Navarro, with 12.5 per cent of the vote, and the fourth was Rodrigo Lloreda, with 12.2 per cent of the vote. In the same election, Colombians endorsed a Constitutional Assembly to revise the national constitution. The Constituent Assembly will be convened later this year to review ways to increase participation in the government process. Among the key issues are the modernization of institutions, decentralization of government, and improvement in the system of checks and balances between the executive, congressional and judicial branches. In the Congressional elections held earlier in the year, voters elected 114 Senators, 199 Representatives, over 1,000 Mayors, 420 provincial legislators and 10,800 municipal councilmen.