Following the December 19 announcement of an economic emergency and business groups' petitions for suspension, President Gustavo Petro issued the decree on December 25. Álvaro Uribe's Centro Democrático filed a tutela claiming it unconstitutional, but the Constitutional Court delayed review until January 13 amid judicial vacancy, sparking a public feud.
The economic emergency saga escalated when President Gustavo Petro formally issued a 30-day decree on December 25, 2025, to address Colombia's fiscal crisis—marked by unsustainable debt, low tax collection, and unmet obligations in social security and national security. This followed Congress's rejection of a tax reform, leaving a significant budget shortfall earlier flagged by business leaders like Fenalco, Andi, and the National Business Council, who petitioned the Constitutional Court for review and potential suspension, arguing it lacked constitutional grounds.
Álvaro Uribe Vélez's Centro Democrático party, including Senator Paloma Valencia, responded by filing a tutela action to immediately halt the decree, labeling it 'openly unconstitutional and an abuse of power to impose new taxes arbitrarily.' They sought urgent judicial intervention to protect the rule of law and citizens' rights.
Uribe criticized the Constitutional Court's refusal to review during its judicial vacancy, which extends until January 13. 'The protection of citizens' rights cannot be subject to vacancy,' he posted on X, demanding the tutela proceed.
Petro countered on social media: 'Protect the citizens, or the 0.6% of them who are Colombia's richest?' He accused Uribe and former President Iván Duque of tax policies that favored the elite, increased inequality, and ballooned deficits through subsidies to the wealthy—totaling $70 trillion under Duque. 'Stop telling more lies, Mr. Former President Álvaro Uribe. Stop deceiving the people,' Petro urged, framing the decree as a step toward equity without burdening the rich in 2026.
This opposition highlights deepening political divides, with potential implications for the decree's implementation pending tutela and court rulings.
