There is constant speculation in the country about the health of President Gustavo Petro. Perhaps because they associate his routine tardiness, not with an outright erratic attitude, but with bouts of depression or melancholia, which, due to the intermittent and common effects of this type of condition, prevent He sticks to the schedule exactly.
Even former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt hinted at it during her 2022 campaign, having witnessed such events in Belgium decades ago. In fact, Petro himself insists in his autobiography that during his tenure as the embassy’s second in command in Brussels, “loneliness struck me… I walked and walked” as M-19 demobilized members received death threats in silence. Passing through the city, wrapped in a deep loneliness…however, over time, I began to let go of that loneliness, which today could be called depression. “
Recalling that time, he also insisted, “I even explored the consumption of some drugs, experimented with sensations, journeyed inward, to the depths, freed from the shackles of society, from my own struggle and mission; “I tried to explore new corners of the inner geography…solitude led me to a deep exploration, which also became sane”.
In the case of the head of state, others said, his enigmatic situation may have been due to circumstances in which he was not at his best to cope with the weight of his position, rather than depression. They insist that the problem is their lifestyle. This, they insist, is easily deduced from a published conversation between his indicted right-hand man, Laura Sarabia, and Armando Benedetti, in which the president’s insinuation of taking hallucinogens was placed on the table. on the desktop. To this, some added the consequences of excessive drinking during unknown events. Others believe there may be signs of PTSD, a product of his guerrilla phase, or the effects of an old illness.
In any case, even the recurrent bronchitis usually claimed by Casa Nariño can only be analyzed reliably by experts. There are no longer a few columns to draw attention to. It is not in vain that the country has been stunned by unfinished appointments, both domestically and internationally.
Something as simple as producing a medical certificate greatly angers public defenders. But just remind them that in any true democracy, the health of the president is a reason for the state. That fell from its weight.