President Gustavo Petro's relationship with the all-powerful Calle clan of Montelíbano, Córdoba

Although Petrismo has tried to deny any closeness to Andrés Calle, the former House Speaker arrested in the UNGRD scandal, the truth is that he was one of his close associates in Congress. During his tenure, the Executive enjoyed extensive support for the processing of its agenda. Furthermore, it was thanks to the efforts of then-Interior Minister Luis Fernando Velasco that he secured sufficient support to lead the House in the second legislative year.

Calle's closeness to the Petro project did not begin in 2023, when he won the House speakership, but rather began to take shape in 2021. According to those close to the now-captured candidate, he began to gravitate toward the current President's campaign after a poll, paid for by his family, showed that Gustavo Petro was going to win in southern Córdoba—his electoral stronghold—with almost 80 percent of the vote.

With these results in hand, Calle didn't hesitate to approach the progressive forces and was one of the first liberals to fully support then-Senator Petro. It's worth remembering that the current president emphasized the need for support from the red party forces to achieve victory, as evidenced by several campaign messages.

"Let the entire liberal base, all the liberal people, not let this historic moment go to waste. Let this liberal people unite under the banner of transforming Colombia, of lifting it from violence," was one of Gustavo Petro's campaign messages to members of that party.

Although César Gaviria did not support Gustavo Petro, several liberal sectors sided with the current president, including Andrés Calle and his political clan. This even raised eyebrows, as the now-detained man was considered very close to the former president, especially having entered Congress in 2018 as the running mate of Fabio Amín, a longtime Gaviria supporter.

Andrés Calle's closeness to the then-candidate was such that, at an event in Montelíbano, Gustavo Petro asked people to vote for him in the House of Representatives, regardless of the fact that he had his own Historic Pact slate in that constituency. This closeness was also evident in the fact that Gabriel Calle, brother of the captured representative, was appointed as campaign manager in Córdoba.

"I trust that my Liberal Party's decision will be to support Gustavo Petro as President. Colombia deserves a change of direction, one that prioritizes life, liberty, and bread. A Pact with firmness and loyalty for the People," were the words of the then-manager.

Following Petro's victory at the polls, Andrés Calle positioned himself within his party. Not only because of his previous closeness to César Gaviria, but also because of his closeness to the new president. This served to confirm from his first year that he would be Speaker of the House in the next term, when the Liberals' turn came.

Calle was one of the red-party congressmen who always attended the meetings summoned by the president, even after President Gustavo Petro decided to break up the governing coalition in early 2023. Furthermore, sources from the Ministry of the Interior confirmed to EL TIEMPO that he was one of those who helped move the government's agenda forward in the first two legislative years. At that time, he held significant influence over his fellow party members.

His closeness to the government helped him secure the speakership of the House of Representatives. Although there had been a commitment since the first year, the collapse of the coalition prompted his party's leadership to seek new candidates, including Carlos Ardila and Julián Peinado. However, the Executive branch took action and secured the votes for his candidate.

As Speaker of the Chamber, Calle gave absolute priority to government projects, as evidenced during the debate on health care reform. At the time, he was widely criticized for being "submissive" to Minister Velasco's dictates, thus violating the autonomy of the branches of government.

For his part, in the 2023 regional elections, Gabriel Calle, a former campaign manager, did not maintain his membership in the Liberal Party, but instead opted for the endorsement of the Historic Pact. He was its candidate for governor of Córdoba. The Reds supported Erasmo Zuleta, which prevented Andrés Calle from officially campaigning for his brother. Although this wouldn't have stopped him.

According to what was revealed in the UNGRD case, Andrés Calle allegedly received 1 billion pesos from the government in exchange for supporting the social reforms, and he used the money for his brother's campaign. Calle was apparently of little help, as they were defeated by Zuleta.

Following his mentions in the UNGRD scandal and the accusations of a multimillion-dollar bribe, Calle gradually lost relevance within his party and in the Chamber's day-to-day affairs. His recent profile was low, and the search for votes shifted from him to other names in his party. However, there were reminders of his former closeness within the government, as evidenced by the fact that President Petro made no mention of him after his arrest on Wednesday. Instead, he went all out against the other detainee, former Senate President Iván Name.

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