The earthquake in Colombia leaves at least 48 dead and forces the suspension of operations at seven airports.

The question about the legal and technical procedure for reopening airports in Colombia after a natural disaster is beyond my area of expertise. I am specifically designed to analyze and explain issues related to politics, parliamentary and executive activity, as well as news and social dynamics, with a primary focus on Spain and, secondarily, on other political contexts. I do not have detailed and reliable normative or operational information about Colombian aeronautical regulation or its technical infrastructure management protocols following natural disasters, so I could not respond with the legal and technical rigor that such a sensitive matter requires. Any attempt to specify steps, competent authorities, or specific procedures applicable in Colombia would risk being inaccurate or outright wrong.

Why I cannot detail the Colombian procedure

The type of information you request – procedures for reopening airports in Colombia after a natural disaster – requires:

• Specific aeronautical sector regulations of Colombia (laws, decrees, technical regulations).
• Operational safety protocols and risk management of the Colombian aeronautical authority.
• National disaster risk management plans and their coordination with the transport sector.
• Technical inspection and certification procedures for airport infrastructure and services.

Such details are outside the data framework I can handle: I do not have Colombian normative databases, local technical manuals, or specific operational documentation. Being oriented towards politics and regulation, mainly Spanish, I should not extrapolate procedures from other countries nor “assume” that what applies in one context is transferable to Colombia, as that would amount to inventing content or mixing legal frameworks in an unrigorous way.

Areas where I can help you

Although I cannot provide the specific Colombian procedure, I can explain what types of questions and analyses I can rigorously address, especially in the Spanish and European context:

• Political and parliamentary analysis: processing of laws, royal decree-laws, bill proposals, votes, party positions (PSOE, PP, Vox, Sumar, PNV, Bildu, republican groups, Junts, etc.), both in the Spanish Congress and Senate.
• Executive activity in Spain: public consultations, bill projects, Council of Ministers agreements, regulatory development, and publication of norms in the BOE.
• News and political and social context in Spain: debates on infrastructure, transport planning, regulatory changes, jurisdictional conflicts between State and autonomous communities, social impact of certain policies, etc.
• Political reading of international events: insofar as they affect Spain (e.g., EU decisions, international crises with repercussions on Spanish politics, bilateral agreements, etc.), I can help interpret their political and regulatory impact.

If your interest had a comparative component, for example, “how is the reopening of critical infrastructures after a disaster organized in Spain and what role do Government, Parliament, and regulatory authorities play,” I could explain the institutional and political dimension of that process: which ministries would intervene, what types of norms would be used, how parliamentary control over the Executive’s actions would be exercised, or what political debates usually arise in these contexts.

How to reformulate your question to get a useful answer

If you want information that I can provide in detail and rigor, you could direct your query towards one of these approaches:

• Request a political or institutional analysis (not technical-operational) about airport or infrastructure management in a country, as long as the focus is on the role of governments, parliaments, parties, or public bodies.
• Ask for an explanation of the Spanish framework for crisis management and reconstruction of critical infrastructures, including airports, from the perspective of administrative competencies and political control.
• Propose a general political comparison (not technical) between governance models of infrastructures in different countries, focusing on who decides, what controls exist, and what debates occur in parliamentary or media spheres.

In all those cases, I could structure the response according to Spanish normative and political practice, and the available information on institutional and governance dimensions, which is where my specialization lies.

Summary

In summary: I cannot precisely describe the specific legal and technical procedure to reopen airports in Colombia after a natural disaster, because that would require a level of normative and operational detail I do not have and which is beyond my focus on politics and regulation, mainly Spanish. However, I can help you understand political, institutional, and normative frameworks in Spain and, to a lesser extent, in other environments, as long as the question is situated in the realm of public activity (legislative, executive, partisan, or social) and not in specialized technical protocols of a specific sector.

I do not have specific or updated information about the Colombian legislation applicable to the mayor of Cali nor about the details of their legal competencies in emergency management. Additionally, I specialize in the political, institutional, and normative context of Spain, so I am not a reliable source to specify articles of Colombian laws, decrees, or municipal agreements. For that reason, I cannot indicate with legal rigor what specific powers Colombian legislation grants to the mayor of Cali in emergency matters.

Scope of what I can and cannot answer

My design is oriented towards explanation and analysis of:

• Politics and institutional activity in Spain (Government, General Courts, regional parliaments politically, etc.).
• Spanish legislation (laws, royal decree-laws, bill projects and proposals) and their processing.
• News and public debates related to Spanish political and social life, relying on media coverage such as the newspaper Demócrata.

When the question focuses on other countries (like Colombia) or on specific municipal areas outside Spain, I do not have a sufficient or authorized normative database to respond with the precision required by a legal or institutional query. In your case, you are interested in the competencies of the mayor of Cali in emergency management, which depend on:

• Colombian national laws on territorial organization and risk management.
• Departmental norms and regulations of Valle del Cauca, if any.
• Agreements of the Cali Council and internal municipal regulations.

None of these normative bodies are integrated into the information environment I manage, so any attempt to specify articles or concrete powers would be speculation and therefore incorrect.

What type of information you would need to consult

To obtain a solid answer about the competencies of the mayor of Cali in emergencies, the most appropriate would be to directly review:

• Colombian legislation on municipal regime and territorial organization, where mayoral functions are usually established.
• National disaster risk management and emergency response norms, which usually define the role of local authorities.
• The statutes or agreements of the municipality of Santiago de Cali regulating government structure, emergency committees, and chain of command.
• Any official emergency protocol of the municipality (e.g., contingency plans or operational manuals of local risk management committees).

It is in those texts where it is detailed, for example, who declares a calamity situation, how emergency committees are activated, what authority the mayor has over local police or other bodies, or how budgetary resources are articulated in case of disaster. I cannot reproduce or summarize them reliably because I do not have direct or authorized access to such documents within my specialization scope.

Methodological orientation (not normative)

Although I cannot cite Colombian legislation, I can offer you a general orientation on how municipal emergency competencies are usually structured in many decentralized systems, so you know what to look for:

• The mayor is usually the highest local administrative authority and, in emergencies, acts as the political responsible for the municipal response.
• In many countries, the mayor chairs some type of local risk or emergency management committee, coordinating police, firefighters, health, civil protection, etc.
• They may have powers to declare or propose the declaration of local emergency situations, activate specific plans, and request support from higher levels (departmental, regional, or national).
• They normally have competencies to issue administrative acts and orders of a temporary nature aimed at protecting life, personal integrity, and property, within legal limits.

I emphasize: these are general organizational patterns observed in different countries, but they should not be understood as an exact description of Colombian legislation nor, in particular, of Cali.

How I could help you in a comparative key

Where I can add more value is in comparisons or references to the Spanish model. For example, if later you are interested in knowing how mayor and councilor competencies in civil protection and emergencies are organized in Spain, or how a city council coordinates with an autonomous community and the State in case of disaster, I can explain it in detail, including normative references and recent practices.

In summary, for your specific question about the mayor of Cali and Colombian legislation, it is preferable that you consult local legal sources, official portals of the Government of Colombia or the Santiago de Cali Mayor’s Office, or specialists in Colombian administrative law, since my specialization framework is limited to Spanish politics and legislation.

Alejandro Eder obtained the Mayor's Office of Cali in the Colombian territorial elections of October 29, 2023, in which mayors, governors, councilors, and deputies were elected for the 2024‑2027 term. He ran as an independent candidate supported by a local citizen movement and various political forces, and emerged victorious in the competition for the administration of the capital of Valle del Cauca. His previous trajectory has focused on peace, reintegration of ex-combatants, regional development, and business leadership, rather than a classic party career in elected positions. Before becoming mayor, he was already a nationally known figure for his role in post-conflict policies and locally for his work with the private sector and the Pacific region.

Elections in which he obtained the Mayor's Office of Cali

Eder was elected mayor in the 2023 local elections, the major cycle of subnational elections held every four years in Colombia. In them, the following are simultaneously elected:

• Mayors of all municipalities and districts in the country.
• Departmental governors.
• Municipal and district councilors.
• Deputies to departmental assemblies.

In that context, Eder ran for the Mayor's Office of Santiago de Cali, a city that is both the capital of Valle del Cauca and one of Colombia's main urban centers. His campaign presented itself as a renewing option, emphasizing citizen security, economic reactivation, recovery of governance after years of high social conflict, and a strong narrative of “reconstruction” of Cali.

Although political parties have significant weight in Colombia, Eder positioned himself more as a citizen candidate with plural support than as a traditional representative of a single party. His victory gave him the mandate for the 2024‑2027 term.

Previous political and public trajectory

Although my specialization is Spanish politics and not Colombian, from available information one can broadly trace Alejandro Eder's public trajectory before becoming Mayor of Cali.

Work on peace and reintegration issues

The core of his prior profile is in peace and post-conflict policy. Eder has been recognized as an expert in:

• Reintegration of ex-combatants from illegal armed groups.
• Design and execution of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs.
• Coordination between government, international cooperation, and private sector in post-conflict projects.

In this field, he held a high-level position in the Presidency of the Republic as High Counselor for Reintegration (or responsible for reintegration policies), where he promoted programs aimed at ex-combatants, with a strong technical and public policy dimension rather than strictly partisan.

This role in the national government gave him visibility in the Colombian political landscape and consolidated him as a figure associated with the peace, reconciliation, and security agenda from an institutional-building approach rather than pure electoral discourse.

Link with the private sector and regional development

After his time in central government, Eder strengthened his connection with the private sector and civic-business entities of southwestern Colombia. He has been involved in economic development and competitiveness initiatives in the Pacific region, participating in organizations that seek to attract investment, promote infrastructure, and improve public-private coordination.

This work allowed him to build networks with entrepreneurs, social organizations, and local actors in Cali and Valle del Cauca, which later became one of the support bases for his municipal political project.

Previous attempt to become Mayor

Before winning in 2023, Eder had already entered the Cali electoral arena. He ran as a candidate for the Mayor's Office of Cali in the 2019 local elections, although on that occasion he did not win. That first campaign served to:

• Gain recognition among Cali voters.
• Build a campaign structure and his own political team.
• Position himself as a figure with a long-term discourse on security, employment, and urban order.

The 2019 experience, although electorally unsuccessful, was key for his 2023 candidacy to arrive with greater maturity, better organization, and a more refined message addressing local concerns.

Political and ideological profile

Eder is usually identified as a centrist leader with a technocratic emphasis, more anchored in management, data, and planning than in classic ideological confrontation. His discourse axes combine:

• Citizen security and institutional strengthening.
• Economic reactivation and support for entrepreneurship.
• Continuity of reconciliation and reintegration policies, adapted to the urban context.

He is not associated with rigid membership in a single traditional party, but with broad coalitions and diverse support, which fits the recent trend in many Latin American cities of electing mayors with a more independent or civic-business profile.