Thousands march in support of Colombia's president

BOGOTA

Colombia's leftist president called thousands of supporters to the streets on March 18, a political show of strength in an effort to press lawmakers into passing stalled health and labor reforms.

In major cities from Bogota to Medellin, thousands of Gustavo Petro's supporters blocked streets, waved flags and chanted slogans of support.

Petro, 64, is the first leftist president in Colombia's history, but has failed to pass the bulk of his reformist agenda through Congress.

With little more than a year left in his four-year term, Petro is now in a race to fulfill key pledges and cement his political legacy.

The ex-guerrilla cannot run in the 2026 elections, but he hopes populist support in favor of his reforms will bolster goodwill for his as-yet unannounced successor.

Petro has blamed powerful business interests for blocking reforms, which among other measures would give workers extra pay for working nights, Sundays or public holidays.

He joined the march in Bogota's Plaza de Bolivar, telling protesters that a corrupt "oligarchy" has "betrayed the Colombian people, for greed and for money."

"Colombia's Congress is turning its back on the people," he said, demanding a referendum on the reforms, a vote unlikely to pass Congress.

Petro's approval rating stands at 32 percent, according to the latest poll by Invamer.

His disapproval rate has soared to 63 percent, thanks in part to perceived failures in countering narcotrafficking, armed guerrilla groups and corruption.