Chief of Staff of the Presidency (Colombia)

Chief of Staff of the Casa de Nariño

Incumbent
Alfredo Saade

since June 18, 2025

Casa de Nariño Office
Office of the President
Reports to| President of Colombia
Appointer| President of Colombia
Formation| September 11, 2019
First holder| María Paula Correa

The Chief of Staff of the Casa de Nariño is the head of the Executive Office of the President of Colombia and a cabinet position in the government of Colombia.

The chief of staff is a person politically appointed by the president of Colombia who does not require the confirmation of the Senate and who serves at the discretion of the President. Although it is not a legally required role, all presidents since Iván Duque have appointed a chief of staff.[1]

The chief of staff is the highest-ranking political appointee in the Casa de Nariño. The position is widely recognized as one of great power and influence, due to daily contact with the President and control of the Executive Office of the President of Colombia.[2]

This position is part of the Administrative Department of the Presidency and together with the person who heads this department, they form what is informally known as "the president's first decision-making circle."[3] Their functions include advising the president in the development of public policy, coordinating the presidential agenda, and presenting to the president for consideration matters from the ministries, among other functions.[4]

## History

[edit]

The position was created in September 2019 during the presidency of Iván Duque under the name of Chief of Staff, inspired by the figure of the United States federal government Chief of Staff of the White House, from the merger of the figures of General Secretary and Private Secretary, which had been functioning in previous administrations in Colombia, and had similar functions, since the presidency of Álvaro Uribe.[5]

In the Gustavo Petro administration, the post has been vacant since June 2023. In August it was announced that Cielo Rusinque would be appointed to the role, but this was reversed the following day.[6]

## List of Casa de Nariño chiefs of staff

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Start  | End  | Duration  | President

|
|
|
|
|

| María Paula Correa[7][8][9] | September 11, 2019 | August 7, 2022 | 2 years, 330 days  |  | Iván Duque
(2018–2022)
| Laura Sarabia[10][11][12] | August 7, 2022 | June 2, 2023 | 299 days  |  | Gustavo Petro
(2022–2026)
| Armando Benedetti[13][14][15][16] | February 3, 2025 | February 24, 2025 | 21 days  |
| Alfredo Saade[17][18][19] | June 18, 2025 |  | 56 days  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Duque crea la figura de jefe de Gabinete". La Patria. September 11, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
2. ^ Correa, María Kamila (September 10, 2019). "Nuevos cambios en el gabinete del presidente Iván Duque". WRadio. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
3. ^ "Detrás del poder de Duque: María Paula Correa lo cuenta todo". La Silla Vacía. February 10, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
4. ^ Gómez Parra, Nathalia (February 4, 2025). "Armando Benedetti, nueva mano derecha de Petro en lugar de Laura Sarabia: Funciones del jefe de despacho de la presidencia". Redmas. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
5. ^ "María Paula Correa, el poder en la sombra". Semana. September 15, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
6. ^ Quesada, Juan Diego (August 30, 2023). "Cielo Rusinque se queda fuera del Gobierno de Petro por filtrar su nombramiento". El País. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
7. ^ Correa Escobar, María Kamila (September 10, 2022). "Nuevos cambios en el gabinete del presidente Iván Duque". W Radio. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
8. ^ "María Paula Correa, la jefe de Gabinete de Duque, hace balance y lanza dardos". El Tiempo. August 5, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
9. ^ "¿Quién es María Paula Correa, Jefe de Gabinete de Iván Duque?". El Tiempo. January 13, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
10. ^ Rincón, Santiago (August 8, 2022). "La politóloga Laura Sarabia será jefe de gabinete del presidente Gustavo Petro". Blu Radio. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
11. ^ "Ella es Laura Sarabia, la mujer que le habla al oído al presidente Gustavo Petro: tiene 28 años, es cristiana, lee la Biblia, viene de familia militar y es muy prudente". Semana. January 7, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
12. ^ "Top allies of Colombian president resign over nanny wiretap scandal". France 24. June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
13. ^ Quesada, Juan Diego (February 4, 2025). "Petro nombra jefe de gabinete a Armando Benedetti". El País. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
14. ^ "Petro nombra a Armando Benedetti como Jefe de Gabinete". La Silla Vacía. February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
15. ^ Agamez Lombana, Ariadne (February 4, 2025). "Confirmado: Armando Benedetti será el nuevo jefe de gabinete de Gustavo Petro". Publimetro. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
16. ^ "Confirmado: Armando Benedetti es el nuevo jefe de despacho del presidente Gustavo Petro". Noticias Caracol. February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
17. ^ Reyes Espinosa, Daniel Esteban (June 20, 2025). "Alfredo Saade, próximo jefe de gabinete de Gustavo Petro, pidió censurar a Noticias Caracol: "Atenta en contra del Gobierno Petro"". Infobae. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
18. ^ Rodríguez, José David (June 20, 2025). "Pastor Alfredo Saade será el jefe de gabinete del presidente Petro". W Radio. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
19. ^ Correa, Juan Manuel (June 18, 2025). "Quién es Alfredo Saade nuevo jefe de gabinete de Petro: trayectoria política y controversias". Caracol Radio. Retrieved June 22, 2025.