Colombian president declares economic emergency in 15 departments

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has declared a state of emergency in the economic, social and environmental sectors across 15 departments of the country, Euronews reports.

“To overcome the crisis and prevent the consequences of the disaster from spreading, an economic emergency has been declared in 15 departments for a period of 30 days,” the press service of the presidential administration said.

The first meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by the president began with a joint prayer and ended with the approval of the state of emergency. The measure will allow the president, for at least 30 days, to bypass the need for a congressional vote on decisions taken under the emergency regime. The state of emergency may be extended twice during the year for the same period, for a total of no more than three months.

The opposition, led by left-wing politician Iván Cepeda, warned that the emergency could be used to legalise the presence of foreign military contingents in Colombia, stressing that any foreign military operation requires Senate approval.

“The powers granted under the state of emergency do not give us unlimited freedom to act. Every peso we allocate must be directed towards meeting the needs arising from the current situation and must be spent responsibly, transparently and strictly for its intended purpose,” the Colombian president said.