Why were Gustavo Bolívar and Laura Sarabia not present at the Plaza de Bolívar on May 1st? Secretly

It was notable that, at the May 1st demonstration, President Gustavo Petro was not accompanied by two of his most loyal squires of recent years: Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia and the outgoing Director of Social Prosperity, Gustavo Bolívar . On the stage in Plaza Bolívar in Bogotá, the president was accompanied by his ministers, congressmen, his daughter Antonella, and even Laura Ojeda, wife of his son Nicolás. Bolívar was with Vice President Francia Márquez in Cali, and Sarabia was attending to other matters, but he did tweet in favor of the referendum.

The defection reform has taken unexpected turns in recent months. In January, it was dead, and there wasn't even an atmosphere for debate. But in March, before Easter, it was resurrected in Senate Committee I, where it was approved almost unanimously and even enjoyed the support of Uribe supporter María Fernanda Cabal. Everything seemed to indicate that its approval was imminent, but in the last week it became entangled again and is now in critical condition ahead of its fifth debate in the Senate plenary. With the announcement of negative votes by the Democratic Center, Radical Change, the Conservative Party, the "U" party, and a portion of the Liberals and the "Greens," its shelving once again seems imminent. Anything can happen in this week's debate.

At the Registry, but also at oversight bodies and private entities that participate in electoral processes by providing technical services, there is concern about the limited time available to prepare for the referendum if the Senate approves it. If the Legislature gives the green light, the government's plan is to call the polls for September 1st, which would require three months to organize a process that generally takes a year . However, the electoral authority is already preparing to avoid being caught unprepared if this happens. This is a new issue, as the country is currently immersed in an unusual string of atypical elections, with more to come.

After the unusual directive to no longer release to the media photographs of soldiers and police officers killed in service—unofficially arguing that this could affect recruitment— the Ministry of Defense decided to reverse the decision, and now, once again, Colombians are seeing the faces of those who died serving their country. The decision was made after retired General Pedro Sánchez took over the Defense Ministry, who, among other measures, replaced the communications team from his predecessor, Iván Velásquez.

The pre-campaign week was very busy. From the center, Sergio Fajardo held important meetings with Juan Manuel Galán and Alejandro Gaviria , and although no agreements were reached or anything of the sort, they are good signs of what could happen later, when the race intensifies. There was also activity in the government. Roy Barreras submitted his letter of resignation to the embassy in London, and Gustavo Bolívar has his exit from the DPS ready, but there is still no green light. Within Uribe's party, the pre-candidates appear to have reached a public non-aggression pact and agreements to announce, in the coming weeks, the mechanism for selecting the candidate. Furthermore, former minister Mauricio Cárdenas announced that he is seeking signatures.

After undergoing surgery, which forced him to suspend his political activities for a few days, as well as his Sunday column in this newspaper, former vice president and natural leader of Cambio Radical, Germán Vargas Lleras , reappeared on social media. The political leader posted a photo on Instagram with his daughter, Clemencia, and his grandson, Agustín, his favorites, in what was his first outing since undergoing surgery. Vargas Lleras is still considering participating in the 2026 elections, but more and more voices, both within his party and outside, are urging him to run. But it's not just those close to him who are sending him signals; the polls are also a sign of the former senator's recognition. For now, the former vice president is focused on his recovery and hopes to soon resume visits to the regions.