Organizers expect some 140,000 people to take to the streets in Colombia’s capital Bogota on Friday when supporters of Mayor Gustavo Petro are expected to protest the burgomaster’s recent removal from office.
In an interview with Caracol Radio, protest organizer Jose Cuesta said that supporters are expected to arrive from all over Colombia in another attempt to prevent the effective removal from office from one of the country’s most prominent opposition politicians.
Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez dismissed Petro and barred the leftist politician from holding office for 15 years over irregularities in trying to bring the trash collection of the Colombian capital under government control.
MORE: Colombia’s Inspector General Dismisses Bogota Mayor Over Trash Collecting Scandal
The ruling sparked a debate over the Inspector General’s authority to remove elected officials from office. Petro and his supporters have claimed the decision was politically motivated and arbitrary.
Friday’s march is not the first; In December, days after Ordoñez’ ruling, thousands marched in Bogota on several occasions as part of what Petro called a “peaceful revolution.”
MORE: ‘This Is Colombia’s Tahir Square’: Dumped Bogota Mayor Calls For ‘Peaceful Revolution’
The march will be held as the Prosecutor General is studying Petro’s appeal. The mayor will continue to be in office until after the ruling on the appeal.
Sources
- Con ‘vaca’ financiarán marcha pro Petro en Bogotá (Caracol Radio)
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