Colombia President dismisses DANE head Ricardo Valencia

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has dismissed Ricardo Valencia, the head of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), after only three weeks in the position. The dismissal follows comments made by Valencia during a press conference, where he stated he had not detected any anomalies in the labor market indicators for July, which were produced during the previous administration of Gustavo Petro.

The presidency characterized Valencia’s appointment as ‘insubsistent,’ arguing that he reached conclusions regarding the data without conducting deep audits. The administration also noted that Valencia failed to follow protocols requiring government officials to obtain presidential permission before making public statements.

Valencia has defended his technical work, asserting that the statistical independence of the agency is non-negotiable. He stated that he received no prior communication from the presidency regarding dissatisfaction with his performance. The incident has sparked concerns among DANE labor unions regarding the autonomy of the nation’s statistical authority and the government’s new policy of strict control over public information.