Is Carlos Rosero leaving the Ministry of Equality? Rumors of his departure are growing.

Carlos Rosero only arrived at the Ministry of Equality in early March. He has been in the position for less than five months, and rumors are growing that he will leave the ministry at the request of President Gustavo Petro.

According to various government sources, rumors are growing that Rosero will not continue in office due to disagreements with the president's management of the ministry during his months in charge. There have even been reports that there has been a request for the resignation of both the minister and the rest of the officials he appointed to the Ministry of Equality.

If these reports are confirmed, Rosero has only been in charge of the ministry for four months. He replaced Francia Márquez after the president deemed her presence in the government untenable given the positions she took during the first televised cabinet meeting.

Rosero was very close to Márquez for many years. They were involved in many social processes in Afro-Colombian communities. He was even one of the founders of "Soy Porque Somos" (I Am Because We Are)—Márquez's movement—and was listed as one of the movement's potential Senate candidates in the 2022 elections.

However, Rosero and Márquez distanced themselves over the change in the Ministry of Equality. It was the president who proposed that he replace her, as the vice president reportedly disliked the move.

It's striking that the reports of Carlos Rosero's departure from the Ministry of Equality come just as there are new tensions between Vice President Francia Márquez and President Gustavo Petro over the audio recordings of Álvaro Leyva. In them, the former foreign minister suggests that the vice president was part of a plot to remove the president from power.

On the other hand, despite the changes in the Ministry of Equality, the ministry has not addressed issues of execution, one of the main weaknesses of the entity . In mid-June, it reported barely 2.51 percent of the resources spent, and the vast majority of this was related to salary payments.

The underutilization of the funds allocated to the entity has raised doubts about its existence after Gustavo Petro's administration. Since the law that created it was struck down by the Constitutional Court, there is only until July 20, 2026, to renew its application. Failure to do so will result in the disappearance of the portfolio.

Although Rosero submitted a bill to create the portfolio, it was not debated and was withdrawn before it could be filed. Now, a week ago, Minister Carlos Rosero announced that he would reintroduce the proposal. However, it is unclear whether he will be able to do so, as there are many doubts about his continued presence.

Juan Sebastian Lombo Delgado