Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will attempt to quell a growing rebellion amongst loyalists of his predecessor Alvaro Uribe within the coalition U Party at a meeting early Tuesday.
U Party congressman Angel Custodio Cabrera announced Monday that members would “share breakfast” with the president. Officially, the meeting will address security issues and justice system reform – but according to Mexican press agency Notimex, the real aim is appeasing Santos’s U Party detractors.
Last week, U Party representatives loyal to Uribe walked out of two consecutive plenary sessions of House of Representatives in protest against the House’s chairman, Liberal Party Representative Simon Gaviria.
They are angry about Gaviria’s decision to suspend the procurement of armored cars for members of Congress, despite a recent assassination attempt against U Party member Albeiro Vanegas.
However, according to Notimex, analysts believe the real source of discontent is the perceived unfair treatment of the U Party within Santos’ “Coalition for National Unity” in Congress. Congressman Cabrero admitted last week that the party “does not feel they have political representation within the government.”
