Roy Barreras resigns from the U Party and announces presidential recall process

Senator Roy Barreras announced this Thursday via Twitter his decision to leave the U Party due to “irreconcilable ideological differences” and shortly afterwards announced that he will begin a process to revoke the mandate of Iván Duque.

Barreras announced his resignation around noon, after revealing that the article containing “the split in the constitutional reform”, included in the draft legislative act for political and electoral reform, was approved in the Senate.

“My membership in the Party of the U has ended as of today. I will continue to exercise from my seat in freedom in defense of peace, rights and freedoms,” said the parliamentarian.

Roy Barreras joined the U Party in 2009, after being expelled from Cambio Radical.

He added that: “after more than 12 years accompanying the banners of peace building, the vindication of the victims and the dialogue solution to all conflicts in the path of a fairer country under the leadership of Juan Manuel Santos, today my relationship with the U Party has ended, “wrote the Valle del Cauca congressman.

Regarding his reasons, Barreras explained in another trill that “irreconcilable ideological differences generated an irreparable fracture. For two years I noticed the incoherence of declaring ‘government party’ accompanying those who promised to tear the peace apart. I tried without success independence or split . It was not possible!”.

Shortly after, in an interview with Caracol Noticias, the congressman indicated that he will promote the process to revoke President Iván Duque.

It should be noted, however, that currently the figure of the revocation of the mandate only applies to mayors and governors, as regulated by Law 134 of 1994

The senator today joined the political group in 2009, after having been expelled from Cambio Radical when he was a representative to the House for the latter movement.

Already as a member of the ‘U’, he was elected senator in three consecutive terms: 2010-2014, 2014-2018 and 2018-2022.

Currently the figure of the revocation of the mandate only applies to mayors and governors, as regulated by law 134 of 1994.

Roy Barreras’ Farewell Letter

Senator Barreras made public, shortly after his announcement on Twitter, his farewell letter to the U Party:

Today, October 15, 2020, I want to announce my final break with the U Party, a community in which I was active for 12 years.

The ideological differences with those who today are the majority have generated an irreparable fracture.

I start towards the construction of a collective force that recovers the paths of complete peace and a more just and equitable society.

It will take the sum of all the wills willing to offer Colombia a democratic and legitimate alternative that defeats an increasingly authoritarian regime. It is a priority to guarantee respect for life, the guarantee of the rights and freedoms of everyone, the priority of the protection of the environment which is the protection of this land, these waters, these forests, which are home. of all.

Under the leadership of Juan Manuel Santos, founder of the Social Party of National Unity, this community led the construction of peace, the vindication of the victims, the dialogue solution to the conflicts and a liberal social democratic spirit that allowed prioritizing peace, equity and education as flags of our government.

On August 7, 2018, the Democratic Center Party came to power, which had exercised implacable opposition to our government and also promised to “destroy the peace.” Not two months had passed since the new government when in an inexplicable and incoherent decision, on September 5, 2018, two years ago, the parliamentary majorities of the U decided to proclaim themselves ¨Party of government¨, accompanying the Democratic Center in its hostile purposes against the peace legacy of Juan Manuel Santos. Since the beginning of this government and since that wrong decision, we have expressed our rejection of that bench decision and we declared independence. A few months later in February 2019, the government of Iván Duque announced the unsuccessful objections to the Statutory Law of the JEP that intended to render inoperative the transitional justice system, the legal heart of peace. That direct attack on the central axis of the Colón Theater agreement meant a point of no return. We waged a tough battle to sink those objections. The parliamentary majorities of the U did not accompany us. Over the months, the radicalization towards the extreme right of the government, with the active participation of the U Party, made us harden our criticism until we exerted a frank opposition.

In one of the last episodes of disagreement, the U parliamentary bench decided to join the government majorities in order to elect the then Minister of Justice as Attorney General of the Nation, serving the purpose of the concentration of power of a government less and less democratic, and more and more arrogant and authoritarian.

My public disagreement and contempt for that spurious decision and then my call for a Political Control debate with a vocation of Censorship Motion against the Minister of Defense for the critical national security situation, has generated strong reactions and pressure in public and private other members of the U Party who do not share my criticism of this government.

I then proposed in an open and public letter to the National Directorate of the Party and to the bench on September 22, that the split of the community be agreed and protocolized at the next Party Assembly. There was no response to my request and obviously the majorities will not grant freedom to those of us from the current minority who want to exercise that countermajoritarian right. The absence of a regulatory law on the mechanism of division makes this right impossible.
All these reasons, and fundamentally the abandonment of our flags in defense of peace and the legacy of the founder of the party, have made it impossible for me to remain in the community that I presided over and that was my political house for practically my entire parliamentary life.

All separations are painful. Divorces are undesirable, but sometimes they are unavoidable, I personally wish my former colleagues the best of luck in their ways, although I predict that they will share the fate of this government, which unfortunately for the country is going from bad to worse. Count me in; I hope for you in the future, hopefully sharing the purpose of building a complete peace and a country where we fit each and every Colombian and every Colombian have the opportunities they deserve.

As of today, my membership in the Social Party of National Unity has ended.

ROY BARRERAS
Senator of the Republic
Former President of the U Party
Former President of the Congress of the Republic