Colombia’s Governors and Mayors Unite to Defy Petro’s Economic Emergency

In an unprecedented political move, Colombia’s governors and mayors have formed a unified front to defy President Gustavo Petro, announcing they will refuse to enforce a new economic emergency decree that raises taxes on liquor and cigarettes.

The ‘rebellion’, led by the National Federation of Departments (FND) and the Association of Capital Cities (Asocapitales), challenges the central government’s authority during a deepening fiscal crisis. The regional leaders argue the administration’s measures violate the Constitution and threaten the financial autonomy of local territories.

The controversy centers on Decree 1474 of 2025, issued under an economic state of emergency declared by President Petro in late December 2025. The decree raises the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5% to 19% and increases consumption taxes. According to the governors, the measure essentially transfers resources from the departments to the national government under a mechanism known as “ceded rent,” reducing local budgets for health, education, and sports.

Colombia’s governors say the emergency decree was unconstitutional

Meeting in an extraordinary session in Bogota on Thursday, the governors agreed to apply an “exception of unconstitutionality.” This legal figure allows officials to disapply a rule they deem openly contradictory to the Constitution without waiting for a final ruling from the Constitutional Court. At least 18 governors have explicitly aligned with this strategy.

“The governors will study with urgency the ideal legal instrument to put the brake on what is provided in Decree 1474,” FND stated in a press release. The revolt includes not only fierce critics of the president, such as Antioquia Governor Andres Julian Rendon, but also allies such as Nariño Governor Luis Alfonso Escobar.

A esta hora el Gobernador del Caquetá, médico Luis Francisco Ruiz Aguilar @LuchoPorCaqueta, se encuentra en Bogotá en una reunión extraordinaria de gobernadores de Colombia. Abordarán temas cruciales como: – Impacto del Decreto 1474 de 2025 – Situación de orden público 🧵 pic.twitter.com/WVM7k6WfUM

— Gobernación de Caquetá (@GobCaqueta) January 15, 2026

The declaration drew an immediate and sharp response from the executive branch. Interior Minister Armando Benedetti characterized the governors’ refusal to obey the law as a “bad example” and warned of severe legal consequences.

“If they say the law is not to be obeyed, they are usurping the functions of the Constitutional Court,” Benedetti said. He added that the officials could face charges of prevarication and might be forced to answer with their own personal assets for the tax revenue the government fails to collect. Justice Minister Andres Idarraga confirmed that the administration would initiate legal actions against any governor who formalizes this noncompliance through administrative acts.

The governors say the decree is disproportionate

The governors contend that the decree is disproportionate and constitutes a “tax reform by decree” aimed at bypassing Congress, which had previously rejected similar tax proposals.

The regional leaders argue that a provision in the decree requiring departments to transfer revenue exceeding the growth of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to the nation punishes effective local management. “This is literally a snatching of resources from territorial entities,” said Tolima Governor Adriana Magali Matiz.

The standoff occurs against the backdrop of a 16 trillion-peso (approximately US$4.2 billion) deficit in the 2026 budget. President Petro declared the economic emergency, his third since taking office, after Congress failed to pass his tax reform bills.

This administration justified the emergency by citing urgent needs to pay health care providers and increase security spending in conflict-ridden departments such as Cauca and Norte de Santander.

To challenge the decree, the governors have formed a representative commission that includes the leaders of Valle del Cauca, Antioquia, Caqueta, Nariño, and Cordoba. They intend to present their arguments directly to the Constitutional Court, which is currently in recess but may convene an extraordinary session to review the validity of the emergency measures.

The government has invited the regional leaders to a meeting on Monday to discuss the scope of the emergency, though the confrontation marks a significant escalation in the tensions between the central government and local powers ahead of the upcoming legislative and presidential elections.