Why did Francia Márquez not submit her formal resignation following Petro's request?

Vice President and Minister of Equality, Francia Márquez, did not submit her resignation letter to President Gustavo Petro after the president requested the formal resignation of the entire cabinet to face the final stretch of his government.

On the evening of February 9, five days after the tension over Armando Benedetti's presence at the televised cabinet meeting, the president asked his ministers and directors of entities to resign in order to advance "some changes in the cabinet to achieve greater compliance with the program ordered by the people."

Some senior officials followed the instructions, but others decided to submit their irrevocable resignation, such as Juan Fernando Cristo, now former Minister of the Interior.

But the vice president and minister Francia Márquez has not submitted her letter. The reason? She herself said at the cabinet meeting on February 4, where she questioned the appointment of Benedetti as head of the Cabinet, that President Petro had had her resignation letter since he appointed her as Minister of Equality.

“I gave you my resignation letter the very day you appointed me Minister of Equality. You know that I put it on your desk for you to sign when you feel like it. But I bet, along with you, on a dream of change, of transformation. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about that. I think about the anguish, worries and suffering of the people in this country. Of all of them,” said the vice president.

My resignation letter was sent to you on the day you appointed me Minister of Equality. You know that I put it on your desk for you to sign when you feel like it.

Thus, Márquez did not submit her resignation letter after the request, but she did so prior to the president's call, so her position as minister is at the President's disposal.

President Gustavo Petro's cabinet has undergone several changes since the end of January.

The first changes came with the departure of Mauricio Lizcano from the Ministry of ICT, Luis Gilberto Murillo from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and María Constanza García from the Ministry of Transport. All three left the Government. In addition, Laura Sarabia moved from Dapre to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But after the cabinet meeting, the uproar began. Rojas (Dapre), Juan David Correa (Culture), Ivan Velasquez (Defense), Gloria Ines Ramirez (Labor), Juan Fernando Cristo (Interior), Alexander Lopez (National Planning), Susana Muhamad (Environment) resigned.

Angie Lizeth Rodríguez, who was an advisor to the Ministry of Health, now heads the Dapre. Antonio Sanguino, former senator of the Green Alliance, was named Minister of Labor. María Fernanda Rojas, who came from the Department of Social Prosperity, assumed the leadership of the Ministry of Transportation. General Pedro Sánchez was appointed as Minister of Defense. Armando Benedetti, who was acting Chief of Staff, will now be acting head of the Ministry of the Interior. And on Tuesday morning it was announced that Patricia Duque will be Minister of Sports.

It is also said that Gustavo Bolívar's departure from Prosperidad Social will be made official in the next few days. In addition, it is said that Susana Muhamad will move to National Planning and Alexander López will be the new head of the Office. These movements are yet to be confirmed.