'Anyone would say we should cancel the contracts': President Gustavo Petro's controversial message about media coverage on radio and television.

In a controversial tweet in which he harshly attacked the media, which he believes fails to adequately report on his government, President Gustavo Petro addressed the validity of the contracts that allow radio and television stations to use the electromagnetic spectrum.

"The contract is for them to commercially exploit a national asset; they are concessionaires. The contract is violated if the media violates the constitution, the right to information and the truth, and here it is being violated every day. Anyone would say that the contracts should be terminated," Petro stated in a post on X, a tweet that is being evaluated by media associations.

According to the president's interpretation, criticism of his administration's results is supposedly "toxic": "How much damage they have done to my human dignity, that of my family, and the people by misinforming them and filling them with hatred."

The head of state's position is unprecedented, at least in the country's recent history, whose leaders have historically been committed to defending press freedom.

Petro's message was rejected by former minister Alejandro Gaviria, who said: "Pastor Saade is not a loose cannon. When he says we need to control the media, he's following President Petro's instructions."

In the same vein, Democratic Center representative Andrés Forero rejected the president's remarks: " In this long and tedious rant, @petrogustavo is supporting the anti-democratic proposal of his disgraceful 'chief of staff' to control the media."

In the same tweet , the president claimed that the opposition congressmen who shouted "Petro out" during the inauguration of the legislature had allegedly violated the constitution and the law.

"What happened in the Congress of the Republic at the end of the presidential address on the balance sheet, on the part of the opposition, was a rude response and a call for an institutional coup. A citizen can say "Petro out," but a congressman cannot, because he swore to uphold the Constitution when he took office," he asserted.

During that same session, parliamentarians loyal to the president repeatedly called for presidential reelection, a position expressly prohibited by the National Constitution. The controversial chief of staff, Alfredo Saade, who is being investigated by the Attorney General's Office for this matter, echoed the same sentiment. In his lengthy tweet, Petro made no reference to these two incidents.

EL TIEMPO consulted with experts about whether the president's claim that congressmen cannot shout "Petro out" is true.

For analyst Jairo Libreros, parliamentarians do not lose their rights upon being sworn in.

"When a citizen assumes the position of congressman, they do not lose their fundamental rights. Undoubtedly, they submit to a regime specifically designed for their status as a public servant of Congress. And their fundamental right to freedom of expression entails some limitations and equally some requirements. For example, they cannot incite the use of violence and must have a greater tolerance for criticism and public scrutiny. And in all cases, they can express their ideas, opinions, and political preferences; among other things, they can declare "Petro out" without fear of being legally sanctioned for their expressions. Ultimately, it will be the citizens who will decide whether their words are appropriate or not, and they will express this at the polls," Libreros asserted.

Similarly, former president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), César Lorduy, asserted that congressmen can indeed shout that phrase.

"Of course he can. The one who can't shout reelection is an executive branch official who isn't a member of Congress, but who also shouts or demands something that the Constitution itself prohibits. The inviolability of the word of congressmen is a constitutional guarantee that protects members of Congress for the opinions and votes cast in the exercise of their functions," Lorduy stated.

Maria Alejandra Gonzalez Duarte