Armando Benedetti's bad luck: How does he stand after the defeat in the referendum and accusations from the Ministry of Justice?

Interior Minister Armando Benedetti had not yet recovered from the defeat suffered by President Gustavo Petro's government following the rejection of the referendum in the Senate on Wednesday, when on Thursday morning the resignation letter from Justice Minister Ángela María Buitrago was revealed, in which she made accusations against the head of the political portfolio regarding alleged pressure related to some appointments.

But that combination, at first glance, wouldn't be a major blow to the former senator, who over the past two months, since he was appointed Chief of Staff and later Minister of the Interior, has become President Gustavo Petro's closest associate and his right-hand man.

This was demonstrated on that now-famous February 4th, when the most thoroughgoing Petristas in the cabinet, and Vice President Francia Márquez herself, then Minister of Equality, rejected the former senator's presence in the high government. President Petro, however, defended him and even compared him to Jaime Bateman, one of the icons of the defunct M19 guerrilla group, to which the president belonged.

Armando Benedetti's arrival at the Ministry of the Interior, which coincided with the cabinet reshuffle following the Cabinet meeting, was intended to consolidate support in Congress, where the Executive Branch had suffered more defeats than victories in recent months.

The opposition believed that this appointment could change the course of social reforms.

However, the experienced and controversial former senator hasn't achieved the expected results. He recently took office and began his term with a victory after the health care reform passed in its second debate in the House, although the government has reigned supreme in that chamber.

But a few days later, he suffered his first major defeat with the dismissal of the labor reform in Senate Committee VII, where the first health reform had been defeated a year earlier. The minister didn't even appear in Congress that day, and from La Giralda, the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior, he had warned that the outcome didn't matter to him and that they were focused on moving the referendum forward.

Since then, the minister has rarely visited Congress and has focused on lobbying for votes from afar, making appointments such as the new Minister of Commerce, who was recommended by a liberal sector.

But the strategy didn't work. Ultimately, Minister Benedetti, as well as Antonio Sanguino, Minister of Labor, who were in charge of the referendum, lost the government's main political battle.

The vote, which was by vote-to-finish, was 49 against and 47 in favor, a result that the Nariño House does not recognize and described as fraudulent, although there is no conclusive evidence that this was the case.

And to avoid a total defeat, they ended up jumping on the bandwagon for the appeal against the dismissal of the labor reform, which Benedetti dismissed as a mockery due to the lack of time to process it. However, this Thursday he sent a message of insistence, meaning the Senate must prioritize the process, this time in the Senate's Fourth Committee. This will be the next big test for the head of policy in President Gustavo Petro's administration.

About 16 hours after the Senate voted on the referendum, the resignation letter of Justice Minister Ángela María Buitrago, one of the most technical and moderate voices in the presidential cabinet, became known.

In the letter, he attacks Benedetti, as well as the director of Dapre, Angie Rodríguez, and speaks of alleged pressure related to certain appointments.

There were some calls I received, in which I was asked to sign the departure of a Uspec official, in particular the director.

"I received several calls asking me to sign the departure of a Uspec official, specifically the director. I also received a request to replace the director of Drug Policy, and they sent a resume of someone who didn't meet the requirements for that position. That position should be filled by someone technically competent, familiar with the area, knowledgeable in the field, and who understands the possibilities of addressing an issue like this," the outgoing minister said in an interview with EL TIEMPO when asked about Benedetti.

The head of the political portfolio, who has insisted he's tired of being blamed for everything bad that happens in this country, announced legal action. He said it's a lie and that it's Buitrago's response to his departure from the government.

"Since they threw her out, she goes out to beat the weakest dog," he told the media.

For political analyst Alejandro Chala, a political scientist at the National University, Benedetti, beyond being in a bad moment, is a symptom of the reality of the National Government and mentions that there is a structural problem in the relationship with Congress that the previous three interior ministers of this administration have suffered.

"There's a more structural issue that has more to do with the ideological and political compatibility between this government and Congress. With this, the government is closing in on the possibility of setting the legislative agenda. There's a much deeper dispute that wasn't resolved by political operators," he opined.

"How does it look? I think he's defeated because he loses that aura of a political operator," the analyst added, questioning the change of stance regarding the appeal, which exposed political miscalculations.

But he insists he remains one of the president's most trusted men. "The President rewards these kinds of relationships, more focused on loyalty. Furthermore, Benedetti plays a role in the 2026 elections, building the moderate candidacy the government wants."