Petro urges congress to pass reforms as some try to shelve health bill

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro speaks as people attend a march in support of his government's proposed health, retirement, employment and prison reforms in Bogota, Colombia, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's congress should approve health, labor and pension reforms, President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday, as the lower house weighed whether to shelve the health bill, which would be a major legislative defeat for leftist who campaigned on improving the beleaguered system.

"We ask, with all due respect...that they approve the reforms, that they guarantee to the Colombian people their rights," Petro told thousands of union members and other supporters gathered in downtown Bogota.