President Gustavo Petro has chosen some of Colombia’s most senior politicians and social activists to govern the country for the next four years.
Finance Minister José Antonio Ocampo is a well-known economist who held the same post in the late 1990s and was director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Interior Minister Alfonso Prada is President Juan Manuel Santos’ former chief of staff and will be Petro’s main mediator with Congress to lobby lawmakers’ support for government policy proposals.
Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva is a former mining minister, diplomat and senator and has been one of the most vocal supporters of peace in Colombia.
Vice President Francia Márquez is one of Colombia’s best-known environmental and women’s rights activists. Marquez will devote much of her time as VP to fighting racism and sexism.
Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez is one of Latin America’s best-known anti-corruption fighters. Velasquez headed a United Nations anti-corruption commission in Guatemala and led investigations between politicians and the now-defunct AUC paramilitary organization in Colombia.
Gloria Ramírez is a former labor union leader, a former legislator and a long-time women’s rights activist.
Health Minister Carolina Corcho is the former vice president of the Colombian Medical Federation. The psychiatrist has been one of the main critics of Colombia’s semi-privatized public health care system.
Alejandro Gaviria is a former health minister and economics researcher and one of the closest allies of former president Juan Manuel Santos.
Environment Minister Susana Muhamad is a long-time environmental activist who was Petro’s Environment Secretary when the president was mayor of Bogotá.
Agriculture Minister Cecilia Lopez held the same position under former President Ernesto Samper and has been an outspoken supporter of land reform.
The Minister of Energy Irene Velez is a philosopher who also studied political geography. Velez has been a strong defender of rural communities and the environment in disputes with mining companies and foreign governments.
Culture Minister Patricia Ariza is one of Colombia’s best-known poets and an outspoken peace activist.
Sports Minister María Isabel Urrutia is an Olympic medalist and a former congresswoman.
