Colombia government to withdraw call for labor referendum after lawmakers back reform
A referendum to seek voter approval for a raft of labor reforms in Colombia will be withdrawn after the Senate approved a modified and much-debated version of the changes, leftist President Gustavo Petro said on Friday.
Petro had decreed the referendum last week, saying it would move ahead unless a bill passed by the Senate on Tuesday adhered closely enough to what his government wants.
A high court later suspended Petro's decree.
"As I said, since the labor reform is now law, I will repeal the decree calling for the referendum, which is no longer necessary," Petro said on X.
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Each measure in the referendum would have required approval from at least 13.5 million voters, a third of Colombia's electoral roll, to pass.
This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.
