Projects with which the "bench for life" arrives at the Congress

El Espectador learned the contents of the 14 projects that Colombia Humana, Polo Alternativo, Decentes, FARC, Mais and the UP will be tabling this July 20 before the Congress and that clearly explain their objective to defend the implementation of The Final Peace Agreement

With a legislative package of 14 initiatives to be presented from this July 20 before the Congress, the Union of Political Parties and Sectors that was called "Bank for the peace, life, democracy and human rights ", and of which Columbia Human, Alternative Polar, Decent, FARC, But and the UP are part, will start a legislative work that will be characterized by the control political, contact with social organizations and promoting the implementation of the agreement between the government and the FARC in the final peace agreement. (You might be interested: The Green Alliance sector will propose to declare its opposition to the Duke government)

There are five pieces of legislation and nine bills that are divided into blocks and many of which relate to what It is not possible to evacuate through the fast lane. According to the senator of the Democratic Pole, Iván Cepeda, it is the work of a series of sectors united in a group with a great possibility of action.

"Never before has the center counted in Congress such a number of representatives. We are close to 50 in the House and Senate, a similar situation has never been presented before and that means we will have many employment opportunities, we will have very tight political control, because there are people who have a lot of experience in this area.For the senator, it is clear that before the cabinet raised by the elected president Ivan Duque, "who is very union", will be more than indispensable the work of this bench will be very connected with social organizations.

Cepeda insists, yes, that does not mean that the doors are closed for create channels of communication: "We are ready to engage with the government especially on peace issues that we consider urgent to address to save us years of discussions." not to renegotiate & # 39; peace agreement – as the Court has already clarified this issue – but to seek to understand on certain issues. "

According to the president of the Patriotic Union and Congressman of the list of decency, Aida Avella, the coalition for peace and life is composed of a series of parliamentarians who will be charged" not only to present projects for peace but to mark others that have been halfway through this legislature. "Read also: (This would be the 2018-2022 Congress Administration Boards)

This is the case of the Legislative Bill whereby the 16 Transitional Special Peace Circumscriptions for the House of Representatives are created, ie seats for victims of violence, who have twice been seated in Congress

The articles specify, for example, that candidates for such seats may be registered only by organizations of victims, peasants, social organizations and that the movements that have a representation in Congress or a legal status (including that of the FARC), can not register lists Read more: Álvaro Uribe refuses to accept the presidency of the Senate

"This bill takes up a large part of the proposals contained in the draft legislative acts previously tabled and presented here, as well as proposals for the organization of social and human rights councils, in particular the Corporación Viva la Ciudadanía, with which it is requested to submit for consideration to the Congress of the Republic an initiative on the greatest convergence that allows the approval of this legislation and, therefore, the creation of the Special Peace Transition Circumscriptions, "reads the text in its explanatory memorandum

Another key project that will seek to move this block is that of political reform. as part of what was agreed in the final peace agreement between the government and the FARC. This is an amendment that, as the bill stresses, aims for a democratic opening with better guarantees for political organizations, in addition to modernizing the electoral organization and fighting corruption.

The project includes 15 articles centered on four axes in the Peace Agreement: Guarantees for political participation, the progressive acquisition of rights for political organizations, transparency in the exercise of the policy and the promotion of political participation.

Among the other projects that are part of the legislative package are those aimed at reducing the monthly contribution to the contributory pension scheme for retirees, which proposes to amend the Labor Code to harmonize the right to strike; wants creates the social service for peace, which aims to provide benefits to the debtors of ICETEX, which offers full attention to early childhood in emergency situations – especially in rural areas of the country – and which seeks to regulate more clearly the political coalitions

It is also the project that proposes to create five new criminal types that characterize the conduct of paramilitarism, a proposal that was worked together in a compound work table various social organizations and human rights.

The text states that to strengthen security guarantees, "the judicial system must be equipped with legal activities aimed at dismantling economic and political structures that support paramilitary activity through the typification of conduct related to the constitution illegal organized civil groups, including so-called self-defense groups, security groups that carry out illegal acts, paramilitaries, as well as their networks, structures or support practices, illegal security groups or other equivalent denominations. "