Minute30.com .- In a historic decision that redefines the balance of powers in Colombia, the Constitutional Court dealt a hard blow to the National Government. With a vote of 6 against 2, the Plenary Chamber decided to apply a precautionary measure to suspend the effects of Decree 1930 of 2025, by which President Gustavo Petro had declared the Economic Emergency last December.

This tool, reserved exclusively for regulations that go “openly contrary” to the Constitution, immediately freezes the Government’s intention to collect 11 billion pesos through taxes issued with the force of law.

Judge Carlos Camargo and the presentation that stopped the collection

The study of this key norm was left in the hands of Judge Carlos Camargo, who since last Friday had warned his colleagues about the urgency of suspending the decree. According to Camargo, allowing the Government to continue with the execution of the emergency would generate unconstitutional effects that would be “materially impossible” to reverse once consolidated.

Camargo’s thesis was clear: the Executive cannot bypass Congress to create tax burdens under a state of exception that, in the opinion of the majority of the Court, does not meet the constitutional requirements of “supervening and unforeseeable.”

Tension in the Palace of Justice and attacks from the Casa de Nariño

The decision occurs in an environment of extremely high tension. In recent weeks, the surroundings of the Palace of Justice were the scene of sit-ins and heated debates. President Gustavo Petro himself had publicly attacked Judge Camargo, questioning his impartiality and the speed of the process.

What does this mean for the country?

The provisional suspension of the ‘mother’ decree 1930 implies a fiscal gap of 11 billion pesos with which the Government planned to finance strategic projects for 2026.

Frozen taxes: The new taxes that began to apply under the emergency are left without immediate legal basis.

Legal Security: The Court reaffirms that states of exception are of last resort and not a fast track for tax reforms.

Political Defeat: It is considered one of the biggest judicial setbacks for the current administration.

What’s next?

Although it is a precautionary measure, analysts suggest that it is a harbinger of the substantive ruling, where the Court could declare the emergency completely unenforceable. The National Government must now seek ordinary means in Congress to fill the fiscal gap, in a legislative year that is expected to be stormy due to the 2026 electoral calendar.

An official statement is expected from the Casa de Nariño in the next few hours, while the markets react cautiously to the fiscal uncertainty generated by this train crash.