Former President Uribe Questions Legitimacy of Congress Amid Corruption Claims

Former President Alvaro Uribe is questioning the legitimacy of the Colombian Congress following an alleged corruption scandal involving the presidents of both the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate. The allegations cite the reception of bribes sourced from misappropriated public funds of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), notably responsible for water supply in the La Guajira Department.

Alvaro Uribe, the political leader of the opposition party Democratic Center, has consequently asked that the government’s proposed legislative reforms be shelved. The former conservative Colombian president took a similar stance in 2022, shortly after the legislative elections. At that time, without definitive evidence, the former president alluded to alleged electoral manipulation, which he claimed resulted in his party losing political representatives.

Alleged corruption in the UNGRD reaches Congress in Colombia

Former President Alvaro Uribe has seized upon the alleged corruption case within the UNGRD, which recently implicated Andres Calle, the president of the House of Representatives, and Ivan Name, the president of the Senate.

Last week, Sneyder Pinilla, the former deputy director of the UNGRD, accused the two congressional leaders of accepting bribes from the public entity to facilitate the passage of certain legislation.

Despite the investigation being in its preliminary stages, the political opposition in Colombia has capitalized on the scandal to challenge the government’s social reforms. Uribe, who is the current leader of the Democratic Center party, has claimed that Congress no longer holds the legitimacy to pass laws due to the alleged corruption case involving its leaders.

“The revocation of the Congress in 1991, according to some Constituents, was very much determined by the need to open space to the new forces that participated in the Constituent Assembly, such as the M19. The 1990 Congress had made an unblemished legislative exercise. The current Congress has already revoked its legitimacy to approve laws that would be condemned to disappear,” stated Uribe on his X social media platform.

Political maneuvering with no immediate practical impact

The former president’s claims are primarily a political strategy, as they do not impact the operational effectiveness of Congress. Uribe, who has been challenging the legitimacy of the legislative body in Colombia since his party lost representation two years ago, is once again leveling accusations against this state institution.

Vote buying in Congress is not unprecedented. Although the current allegations have not been confirmed, similar malpractices have occurred before. Notably, during Alvaro Uribe’s first term, Congress amended the Constitution to permit presidential reelection.

This amendment led to the Yidispolitics Scandal, where parliamentarian Yidis Medina confessed to accepting bribes in exchange for her vote that supported the constitutional change allowing Uribe’s reelection in 2006.