Colombia’s statistics chief sacked for claiming Petro did not manipulate statistics

Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has dismissed his statistics chief, Ricardo Valencia, after Valencia asserted that no irregularities were found in the labor statistics reported by the administration of former President Gustavo Petro. The Ministry of Information disclosed that Valencia made this claim "without any thorough investigations being carried out beforehand."

De la Espriella emphasized the necessity for the National Government to carry out a thorough examination of the information received, ensuring that the data utilized to formulate strategic decisions for the nation accurately reflects the economic and social conditions of Colombian citizens. The former DANE director was removed from his position just days after the President's Office canceled another statistics press conference, which typically features regular updates on the country's economic situation.

July's labor statistics corroborated claims made by the previous government that unemployment had reached historic lows following Petro's decision to raise the minimum wage. President de la Espriella has maintained that the nation's economy is facing a crisis, despite data suggesting that Petro's administration increased economic growth in the final six months of his tenure.