Fifteen Cali councilors requested restarting the municipal controller election process, citing flaws noted by the Attorney General's Office. The council president rejected the proposal as improper. On the same day, the Attorney General's Office warned of potential disciplinary liabilities if the process continues.
The process to elect Cali's new municipal controller, which had progressed to forming a shortlist and was paused, faces a new setback. On November 19, during the municipal council plenary, 15 councilors presented a proposal to restart the contest, claiming it is flawed due to observations from the Attorney General's Office. Among the irregularities highlighted, the delegation of functions to the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia that were not theirs.
Council president Edison Lucumí declared the proposal improper and did not put it to a vote. "This proposal would be an irregular mechanism, given that the contest in question has constitutional and legal support, so it would not proceed for such revocation, which must be done by a competent authority, a fact that has not occurred to date," stated Lucumí. He added that the council has already responded to the Attorney General's demands and that, of 11 tutelas filed, nine have favored the corporation.
Councilor Roberto Ortiz denounced political interferences from the mayor's office, suggesting that Mayor Alejandro Eder seeks a "pocket controller." In contrast, councilors Ana Erazo, María del Carmen Londoño, and Rodrigo Salazar supported continuing the process while the Attorney General's Office reviews the council's responses.
The signatories of the proposal are: Carlos Andrés Arias, Tania Fernández, Audry Toro, Henry Peláez, Juan Felipe Murgueitio, Andrés Escobar, Fabio Arroyave, Carlos Pinilla, James Agudelo, Carlos Ariel Patiño, Daniella Plaza, Luis Fernando Salazar, Edison Giraldo, Marlon Cubillos, and Alexandra Hernández. With 15 signatures in a 21-member corporation, the request represents a significant majority.
On the same November 19, the Attorney General's Office sent an official letter to the council's board. Although it does not order suspension or restart, it warns: "The Attorney General's Office warns that persisting in disregarding the alleged legality flaws and continuing the election process under these conditions could compromise the disciplinary responsibility of the Board members and the District Council, for the possible violation of the principles of administrative function enshrined in article 209 of the Political Constitution." It also reiterates that non-compliance could constitute disciplinary faults under Law 1952 of 2019.
This situation turns the election into a minefield of legal, political, and disciplinary risks.