Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has vetoed the first bill sent to him since taking office on 7 August: legislation that would have prohibited any reduction in minimum education and experience requirements for senior roles in the public sector and state-linked companies. The executive returned the bill to Congress on grounds of unconstitutionality and inadvisability, with the presidency's legal secretary arguing it encroaches on the government's exclusive powers over public employment and would create a cumbersome three-stage approval process that could delay key appointments by months. The decision is politically sensitive, as it comes amid scrutiny of the president's own appointments — including his first wife as a senior notary official, an unqualified rum-brand founder tapped to manage a roughly $10 billion earthquake reconstruction fund, and at least six alumni of the president's own law firm now holding executive posts.