Colombia Protests Demand New Prosecutor

Thousands of supporters of Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, marched to demand from the Supreme Court a new prosecutor to replace the outgoing chief Francisco Barbosa, whom the leftist president accuses of trying to overthrow him.

Trade unionists, students and left-wing parties responded to the president's call to demonstrate in the country's main cities on the day the 23 judges of the high court met to vote for the shortlist of jurists that Petro presented to the Court at the end of the year. past.

None of the candidates obtained the 16 votes necessary to take office. If not done before February 12, the Prosecutor's Office would be temporarily placed in charge of Deputy Attorney General Martha Mancera, Barbosa's right hand.

The local press revealed over the weekend an intelligence report that implicates Mancera in a plot to cover up an official from the Prosecutor's Office who allegedly collaborated with drug traffickers.

Nearby, in front of the Supreme Court headquarters, about a thousand people were singing harangues in favor of Petro, the first leftist president in the history of Colombia. There were also demonstrations in the cities of Medellín and Cali.

Dozens of people also gathered in front of the main headquarters of the Prosecutor's Office.

Over the weekend, Petro accused Barbosa of wanting to overthrow him through an investigation into donations made to his campaign by a workers' union, allegedly violating the limits established by law. He also called for protests, although he softened his tone.

The protesters marched since the morning and into the afternoon they continued to gather in the center of Bogotá.