Abelardo De la Espriella Vows Armed Group Crackdown After Sworn In As Colombia President

Cali (Colombia), 7 ago (EFE).- La ceremonia de investidura del abogado ultraderechista Abelardo de la Espriella como presidente de Colombia para el periodo 2026-2030 comenzó este viernes en un auditorio universitario de Cali, capital del departamento del Valle del Cauca, en presencia de una ... mayoría del Congreso, autoridades nacionales y jefes de Estado de una decena de países. IMÁGENES: PRESIDENCIA DE COLOMBIA. RECURSOS DEL PRESIDENTE DE COLOMBIA, ABELARDO DE LA ESPRIELLA LLEGANDO A SU ACTO DE INVESTIDURA. Lo más leído - 1. Marruecos, dispuesto a acoger a sus menores no acompañados si España elimina los obstáculos jurídicos y administrativos - 2. Dámaso, el instructor canino elogiado 29 veces por su labor que asesinó a su esposa en el cuartel de Llanes - 3. Sánchez da un ultimátum a Meloni: o pone fin a los controles en la frontera o se adoptarán «medidas proporcionales» - 4. Meloni desoye las amenazas de Sánchez y no cambiarán los controles de fronteras «al menos hasta el 15 de agosto» - 5. Mercadona confirma el origen de los melones que vende en sus supermercados este verano - 6. Miles de inmigrantes entran a Ceuta a nado desde Marruecos, en directo: última hora de la crisis migratoria hoy - 7. Moncloa anuncia las comparecencias de cuatro ministros en el Congreso por la crisis de Ceuta pero descarta la de Sánchez - 8. El Gobierno establece controles fronterizos a los viajeros procedentes de Italia tras la negativa de Meloni a retirar los suyos - 9. El viaje exprés de Felipe VI a Colombia: doce horas en Cali para la investidura de De la Espriella - 10. Incluyen a la falsa médico coruñesa Andrea Sánchez entre los más buscados de Europa

Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella has been sworn in as Colombia’s president after winning a run-off election on promises to crack down on armed groups, cut government spending by as much as 40 percent, and revive the South American country’s oil and gas industry. De la Espriella, 48, took the oath of office on Friday, breaking with tradition by holding the ceremony not in the capital, Bogota, but in Cali, a city in Colombia’s volatile southwest that has long borne the brunt of the government’s conflict with armed groups. Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Colombia minister warns of ‘terrorism’ threat at presidential inauguration - list 2 of 3At least 11 wounded by Colombia car bomb days before presidential election - list 3 of 3Colombia’s Petro repeats vote fraud claims days before handing over power The choice signalled a decisive break from the strategy of negotiated peace with those groups pursued by outgoing leftist leader Gustavo Petro, whom de la Espriella defeated in June’s run-off. De La Espriella has dismissed Petro’s policy as a failure. “There will be no room for manoeuvres that undermine the stability of the nation,” de la Espriella said on Friday, as he pledged to “relentlessly defeat narco-terrorism”. He added that “the option of dialogue is completely exhausted”. Speaking to Colombian business owners, de la Espriella vowed his government “will be your partner in investing in Colombia”. He called for “the development of responsible and sustainable fracking”. “We cannot resign ourselves to having proven oil reserves that will last only a few more years, nor can we accept the decline of our gas reserves,” he said, adding his government will work to strengthen state-run oil company Ecopetrol. ‘El Tigre’ A political newcomer known to supporters as “El Tigre”, The Tiger, de la Espriella built his fortune and public profile as a lawyer and businessman rather than through elected office, largely self-financing his campaign as an outsider candidate. His arrival in power marks a sharp ideological reversal for a country that, for the past four years, was led by a former rebel fighter who was frequently critical of the drug and immigration policies of United States President Donald Trump. De la Espriella has, in contrast, hewed closer to Trump and his militaristic approach to drug crime in Latin America. Security dominated Friday’s ceremony, which was held at a university auditorium before Congress. Soldiers and armoured vehicles lined roads near the venue, and police manned checkpoints, screening vehicles for explosives in the preceding days. After the ceremony, de la Espriella travelled to a nearby military battalion to address troops directly, framing the visit as both a morale boost for the armed forces and a signal of the approach he plans to take. Colombia’s southwest remains contested territory for dissident factions of the demobilised FARC rebel movement, which rejected the peace deal the group signed a decade ago with the government. The Clan del Golfo drug cartel and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group are also active in the area. The new president has also pledged to join the so-called “Shield of the Americas”, a US-backed regional coalition against drug trafficking that grew out of a summit hosted by the Trump administration in March. He has promised to restore diplomatic relations with Israel and sever ties with Cuba and Nicaragua, branding them as “tyrannies”. Petro had initially refused to accept the election result, alleging that vote tallies had been manipulated. The claim was dismissed by international observers and Colombia’s electoral authorities. Petro ultimately conceded that he would respect the outcome. Still, protests broke out in Cali, Bogota and Barranquilla on inauguration day. In Cali’s Puerto Resistencia neighbourhood, once the epicentre of mass antigovernment demonstrations in 2021, 25-year-old protester Sebastian Ocampo said residents were “defending dignity” against a president he said had not won their support. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Jorge Restrepo, a professor of economics at Javeriana University in Bogota, said the close election margins underscore the challenges ahead in leading an ideologically divided country. “His discourse today, his speech, actually shows a lack of detail, a lot of intentions, a lot of political principles that distance himself from the previous left-wing progressive government of Gustavo Petro,” he said. “But the lack of detail shows that it will be very difficult for him to make reality what he has promised to Colombia, which is…a ‘miracle nation,'” he said. US pledges aid plan De la Espriella’s win extends a run of electoral victories by conservatives across Latin America, with seven right-wing leaders elected since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. That includes Peru’s Keiko Fujimori, Chile’s Jose Antonio Kast, and Argentina’s Javier Milei. Trump personally endorsed de la Espriella’s campaign. The US State Department on Friday said the Trump administration plans to provide $1bn in security assistance to de la Espriella, pending approval from the US Congress. “As a cornerstone of this renewed partnership, the United States, working with Congress, intends to announce $1 billion in assistance as part of a security package to support President de la Espriella’s Administration in achieving our shared goals,” the State Department said in a statement. Leaders in attendance at Friday’s event included Spain’s King Felipe VI, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and several Latin American conservative leaders, including Milei and Kast.

Colombia’s new president takes office in ceremony in Cali highlighting hard line on armed groups Colombia’s new president takes office in ceremony in Cali highlighting hard line on armed groups BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Conservative Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s president Friday, not in the capital as is the tradition, but in the volatile southwestern city of Cali in a move meant to signal his hard-line approach to illegal armed groups operating in the region. De la Espriella, 48, succeeds Gustavo Petro after winning a close runoff election on June 21 against the outgoing president’s ally, Sen. Iván Cepeda. De la Espriella, who has never held public office before, ran as an outsider, financing his campaign with the fortune he amassed as a lawyer and businessman. His inauguration, held at a university auditorium before Congress, marks a further shift to the right in the region. King Felipe VI of Spain, acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Latin American presidents including Argentina’s Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa and Chile’s José Antonio Kast all attended. After the ceremony, de la Espriella plans to travel to a military battalion in Cali to address the troops. He aims to boost the morale of the service members and simultaneously warn the illegal armed groups operating in the area that they must surrender or face being declared “military targets.” De la Espriella, who calls himself “El Tigre” or “The Tiger,” has pledged to tackle the persistent violence in Colombia by breaking with Petro’s policy of negotiating with armed groups, arguing that the peace process has failed. Security became the main challenge of the swearing-in ceremony. Authorities deployed several checkpoints to search vehicles, looking for potential suspects or explosives. Illegal economies, such as drug trafficking and illegal mining, are disputed among groups like the dissident factions of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that did not accept the peace agreement signed a decade ago, the Clan del Golfo cartel, and the National Liberation Army guerrilla group. Impact on the region De la Espriella, a Colombian-American citizen, comes to power after receiving the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump and as regional concerns grow about crime, immigration and the economy. “His rise to power will reinforce this rightward shift across much of Latin America and consolidate a regional bloc of conservative governments against a dwindling number of left-wing administrations,” Glaeldys González, an analyst with the International Crisis Group for the Andes, told The Associated Press. De la Espriella has said that his government will unite Colombia with the “Shield of the Americas,” a regional coalition to fight drug trafficking that emerged from the summit held by Trump in March. He also announced that he will resume diplomatic relations with Israel and sever them with Cuba and Nicaragua, which he considers “tyrannies.” Petro vows fierce opposition De la Espriella will face robust opposition from Petro, who at first refused to recognize his electoral victory and insisted on alleged fraud, claiming that results from thousands of tally sheets were manipulated by programmers. The accusations of fraud have been dismissed by international observers as well as electoral authorities in Colombia. However, the outgoing president left the presidential palace Friday saying he would respect the popular will. Petro, who did not attend, will be “relentless” and “acerbic” as an opponent, seeking to strengthen his leadership, said political analyst Sergio Guzmán. Petro has urged social movements in the southwest of the country to organize “people’s militias” to defend themselves against potential attacks from what he called the “fascists,” and called on his supporters to prepare for a general strike should they try to imprison him after he leaves office. Petro was named a “priority target” by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the AP reported in March. These kinds of calls from Petro, coupled with the hard-line approach de la Espriella intends, increase the likelihood of “confrontations during demonstrations or more forceful responses from the authorities,” according to Andrés Macías, a researcher specializing in conflict and peace at Externado University. In Cali, where Petro has a large following and most voted for Cepeda, social and student organizations protested. Demonstrations also took place in Bogota and Barranquilla. “Here we are defending dignity, resisting and making it clear that he (de la Espriella) did not win here and we are letting him know it,” Sebastián Ocampo, 25, told the AP while demonstrating in Puerto Resistencia, a residential area of Cali that was the epicenter of massive anti-government protests in 2021. “There are very divided opinions in Cali ... we are just hoping that the demonstrations will be peaceful,” said Amanda Castro, a 29-year-old merchant from southern Cali. ___ Follow the AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

CALI, Colombia—Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as Colombia’s president today with a clear aim: to strengthen ties with Washington around trade, investment, and security. That push marks a sharp break from the turbulent relationship under outgoing President Gustavo Petro, with whom US President Donald Trump repeatedly clashed. It also gives both administrations an opportunity to advance the agenda they have started to build during the transition—one that can expand opportunities for US business, boost Colombian production, and create safer conditions for economic activity. The two administrations have already begun laying the groundwork. In July, Vice President-elect José Manuel Restrepo and several ministers-designate traveled to Washington to meet with US lawmakers, policymakers, and business leaders. The visit led to plans for formal working groups, which began meeting in Barranquilla last week. That is an unusual level of engagement before inauguration day—and a clear signal that both sides see the other as an important partner. From our work on regional policy and across Colombia’s public and private sectors, we see the economic agenda as one of the clearest opportunities to start turning this political opening into results. The United States remains Colombia’s leading trade and investment partner, while Colombia ranks as the third largest US trading partner in Latin America and the Caribbean. Bilateral goods trade reached over $37 billion in 2025. More than six hundred US companies operate in Colombia, supporting over 107,000 jobs. The De la Espriella and Trump administrations can build on this foundation by creating pathways for Colombian companies to participate in US-linked value chains and giving US capital and technology clearer routes into Colombia’s energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors. An agenda to simplify trade and investment would support the 2025 US National Security Strategy’s push to bring critical supply chains into the hemisphere. It would also reinforce De la Espriella’s territorial-control agenda by expanding the formal economy in regions where economic and institutional vacuums have allowed criminal groups to deepen their control. The first test: Resolve the tariff dispute There will be challenges for the two sides. Foremost among them will be addressing the Trump administration’s latest round of tariffs. The United States imposed a 12.5 percent Section 301 tariff on goods not covered by specific exclusions after investigating economies that had not imposed or enforced bans on imports produced with forced labor. Products potentially exposed to the measure represented nearly 30 percent of Colombia’s exports to the United States in 2025. Colombia already prohibits forced labor domestically. It has ratified the International Labour Organization’s core conventions on forced labor, and Article 188A of its Criminal Code prohibits exploitation through forced labor or services, slavery-like practices, and servitude. Moreover, the US–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement already includes labor commitments that reinforce both countries’ support for internationally recognized labor rights. In light of the US investigation, the De la Espriella government could build on Colombia’s existing commitments by adopting stronger import controls, improving customs traceability and enforcement, and agreeing with the Office of the US Trade Representative on measurable implementation benchmarks. Washington, in turn, should establish a clear timetable for reviewing and lifting the tariff once Colombia meets those benchmarks, along with mechanisms to support those controls. Four areas for early US–Colombia wins Resolving the tariff issue would provide an early demonstration that the renewed relationship can produce opportunities for both countries. But the partnership should also include rebuilding the historically bipartisan congressional relationship and should go further in four areas: Energy security In June, Colombia’s National Hydrocarbons Agency reported that the country had 5.9 years of proven natural gas reserves at current production levels. The decline in recent years has added to concerns about energy security, particularly as projections indicate that demand could begin to exceed available supply as early as next year. At the same time, Colombia has more than 10.5 trillion cubic feet in contingent gas resources that could support future supply, alongside additional potential in offshore areas near La Guajira and Magdalena. Bringing those resources to market will require investment in exploration and drilling, expanded pipeline and processing infrastructure, more predictable regulatory and permitting processes, and access to long-term financing. Here, US companies already bring experience and capabilities to the table. The De la Espriella government can facilitate their participation by establishing clearer permitting timelines, making regulatory processes more predictable, and strengthening coordination among national energy and environment agencies. Agroindustrial value chains Agribusiness can extend the benefits of the bilateral agenda into rural Colombia. US agricultural exports to Colombia reached a record $4.5 billion in 2024, while Colombian agricultural exports to the United States hit nearly the same number. Coffee, flowers, and fresh produce have driven Colombian sales, while US farmers supply Colombia with products like corn, soybean meal, wheat, pork, and dairy goods. To expand this trade, Colombia can identify corridors where investments in cold storage, processing facilities, transportation, and export certification would allow farmers to reach new buyers. US agencies and companies can support projects that create demand for American technology and strengthen regional food supply chains. The strategy can produce an additional win if it focuses on municipalities affected by armed conflict. Export-oriented agribusiness can help sustain security gains if productive investment is accompanied by infrastructure, road access, land formalization plans, and protection for producers and businesses. Together, these measures can give farmers alternatives to economies controlled by illegal actors. Venezuela’s recovery Venezuela’s stabilization and democratic opening create another area for US-Colombia cooperation. As Venezuela’s interim authorities and representatives of the democratically elected 2015 National Assembly pursue formal talks, Colombia’s proximity, commercial ties, transportation connections, and private-sector experience position it as a natural partner for US efforts to support economic recovery. Washington and Bogotá have an opportunity to establish a working mechanism focused on immediate recovery needs and the conditions required for longer-term investment. Initial cooperation could include humanitarian logistics following the June earthquakes, infrastructure assessments, transparent procurement standards, and the development of projects in energy and transportation. Working with business associations, the two governments could identify Colombian engineering, logistics, food-processing, and professional-services firms capable of participating in recovery projects alongside US companies. Regional security Security cooperation will determine how far the broader agenda can reach. Illegal armed groups have expanded across more than half of Colombia’s municipalities. Extortion, illicit mining, trafficking, and weak state presence raise costs for businesses and communities while discouraging investment in regions with significant economic potential. US support should help Colombia strengthen intelligence capabilities, improve border controls, protect infrastructure, and reinforce the judicial institutions needed to dismantle the financial networks that sustain criminal organizations. The Colombia-Venezuela border requires particular attention. Partnerships on Venezuela’s economic recovery need to be matched by measures to root out criminal groups that use Venezuelan territory as a safe haven. Better intelligence sharing, coordinated border protocols, stronger customs enforcement, and action against armed groups would protect legal commerce and reduce the risks facing humanitarian and reconstruction projects.

Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia's president on Friday, promising to boost ties with the United States and tackle armed groups linked to the drug trade. The 48-year-old ex-lawyer lurches the Andean nation to the right, taking office after winning a close June 21 runoff against Sen. Ivan Cepeda, an ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro. What happened at the inauguration? In a speech shortly after his swearing-in, De la Espriella vowed once again to wipe out "narcoterrorism" in the South American country. "The option of dialogue is completely exhausted," he said, referring to his predecessor, who had promoted a peaceful resolution to the crisis. De la Espriella then promised to restore "order, authority and freedom" to the South American nation. "There will be no room for maneuvers that undermine the stability of the nation," said the hardline leader, who has spoken of opening mega-prisons to house captured rebels and drug dealers. Instead of the capital Bogota, the inauguration took place at a university in the southwestern city of Cali. Colombia’s third-largest city is located near major drug-trafficking corridors and the Pacific coast, and is a regular scene of violence by rival groups. Among the VIP guests were King Felipe VI of Spain, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Latin American presidents, including Argentina's Javier Milei, Ecuador's Daniel Noboa and Chile's Jose Antonio Kast. Outgoing president Petro declined to attend the ceremony and called for mass protests Friday, claiming election fraud without providing evidence. Who is Abelardo de la Espriella? The 48-year-old is a former lawyer and businessman who has never held public office. He funded his campaign with the profits from his law firm and other business ventures in the agri-food, real estate and fashion sectors. The self-styled "El Tigre" (The Tiger) plans to forge a military alliance with the US and Israel to aid his war on rebel groups, including remnants of the FARC guerrillas, who waged an armed conflict that peaked in the 1990s and 2000s. De la Espriella won the backing of US President Donald Trump after committing Colombia to a US-backed coalition to fight drug trafficking, dubbed the "Shield of the Americas." He has also offered to launch joint military operations with Washington and even host US troops on Colombian soil. The millionaire has also announced plans to resume diplomatic relations with Israel and sever them with Cuba and Nicaragua. De la Espriella's win is another point for right-wing politics in Latin America, after electoral victories from Chile to Costa Rica, having also promised to crack down on security issues. Edited by: Roshni Majumdar Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google, so you'll always see our verified news first.

El abogado de ideología ultraderechistaAbelardo de la Espriellaasumió este viernes laPresidencia de Colombiapara el periodo 2026-2030 en una ceremonia de investidura celebrada en la Arena USC de laUniversidad Santiago de Cali, capital delValle del Cauca. Ante elpresidente del Congreso, Honorio Henríquez, quien le impuso labanda presidencial, el nuevo mandatario, de 48 años, marcó el relevo en el poder tras la salida deGustavo Petro: "Juro a Dios y prometo al pueblo cumplir fielmente la Constitución y las leyes de Colombia". La sesión solemne se había reanudado previamente tras una espera de más de una hora y 15 minutos. De la Espriella ingresó al auditorio acompañado por su esposa,Ana Lucía Pineda, y sus cuatro hijos menores de edad, donde aguardaban más demil invitadosnacionales e internacionales. A su llegada, el presidente electo fue recibido con una ovación y declaró a los periodistas que "hoy es ungran día para la democracia, Colombia se salvó y vamos a construir entre todos la'Patria Milagro'". En paralelo a la ceremonia, elEjércitorealizó 21 salvas de cañón con los colores nacionales desde la Escuela Militar de Cadetes José María Córdova enBogotá. Acto seguido, De la Espriella tomó juramento a su vicepresidente,José Manuel Restrepo. En el escenario estuvo presente como invitado de honor el campesinoLuis Felipe Yagüé, de 74 años, un gesto con el que el nuevo jefe de Estado quiso respaldar a pequeños empresarios y emprendedores del país. Al evento asistieronel rey Felipe VI de Españay los presidentesJavier Milei(Argentina),Daniel Noboa(Ecuador), Santiago Peña (Paraguay), José Raúl Mulino (Panamá), Luis Abinader (República Dominicana), José Antonio Kast (Chile) y Nasry Asfura (Honduras), además del presidente de la FIFA, Gianni Infantino. En la tribuna también se ubicaron los expresidentes colombianosCésar Gaviria(1990-1994), Andrés Pastrana (1998-2002),Álvaro Uribe(2002-2010) eIván Duque(2018-2022). No fueron invitados Ernesto Samper (1994-1998) ni el Nobel de Paz de 2016, Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018). Tras la investidura, el jefe de Estado se desplazará al Cantón Militar Pichincha, situado a 2,5 kilómetros del auditorio, donde ofrecerásu primer discursoantelos altos mandos militares del país. El inicio de su mandato escenifica el ascenso de unanueva derecha de línea 'trumpista'y antisistema, lo que ya ha desencadenado una evidentelucha de podercon la derecha tradicional y elestablishmentque encabeza el expresidenteÁlvaro Uribe, cuyo apoyo en el Congreso es vital para el nuevo Ejecutivo. Como símbolo de su estilo rupturista, De la Espriella ha anunciado su intención de descentralizar el mando político y adaptar un antiguo cuartel en Barranquilla a modo de'Casa Blanca', incluyendo un búnker subterráneo desde el cual coordinar acciones frente a los inmensosretos de seguridad, heredando un país donde los efectivos de losgrupos armadoshan crecido un 23,5% en el último año. El abogado de ideología ultraderechistaAbelardo de la Espriellaasumió este viernes laPresidencia de Colombiapara el periodo 2026-2030 en una ceremonia de investidura celebrada en la Arena USC de laUniversidad Santiago de Cali, capital delValle del Cauca. Ante elpresidente del Congreso, Honorio Henríquez, quien le impuso labanda presidencial, el nuevo mandatario, de 48 años, marcó el relevo en el poder tras la salida deGustavo Petro: "Juro a Dios y prometo al pueblo cumplir fielmente la Constitución y las leyes de Colombia".

Inauguration of Abelardo de la Espriella, a president willing to break all molds in Colombia Colombia The King, warmly received on his arrival in Cali Lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella has taken office this Friday as president of Colombia in a university auditorium in Cali, capital of the Valle del Cauca department, in the presence of a majority of Congress, national authorities and heads of state from a dozen countries, including Felipe VI. "I swear to God and promise the people to faithfully uphold the Constitution and laws of Colombia," De la Espriella, 48, declared when he took the oath before the president of the Congress, Honorio Henríquez, who immediately placed the presidential sash on him to succeed the now former president Gustavo Petro. After the legislative quórum was verified, a commission made up of senators and House representatives from several parties had invited De la Espriella to enter the USC Arena at the Santiago de Cali University, where journalists awaited him: "It is a great day for democracy. Colombia is saved," he said before taking a photo with his family. A few days earlier, the new president had already shown his roadmap: "The great policy is the one measured by liters of water, by kilometers of road, by health coverage, by opportunities for the most deprived and by the presence of the State in all territories." With these words he sought to reaffirm a radical shift from his predecessor, who allowed the bloated growth of criminal gangs, did not add a kilometer to the country’s poor road infrastructure, nor remedied the precariousness of basic public services in thousands of towns, in addition to devastating the health system. These are some of the changes the new president, a newcomer to politics with right-leaning beliefs, will imprint from the start of his tenure, hoping to realize the promised "miracle homeland" for Colombians. Because miracles are what he will need to quickly steer the nation, which inherits enormous bureaucratic baggage, debt at historic highs, and insecurity in both rural and urban areas. For that reason, after taking office in Cali, a city fortified by thousands of police, in the presence of King Felipe, other thirteen heads of state and other guests, he chose to deliver his first address as head of state at the Pichincha Barracks. "The time for restoring order, authority and freedom has begun," the president declared in his first statements after the investiture. "The corruption is over," he asserted. De la Espriella also promised to defeat narcoterrorism and criminal organizations "without truce" and announced the construction of megaprisons, following the model promoted by El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele. He also declared the peace negotiations route to be "totally exhausted." The president administered the oath to his cabinet before the military, who place their hopes in Defense Minister General Fernando Mora, one of the officers toppled by Petro. The former president dismissed them for ideological reasons or for voicing truths that clashed with his statements. His role and that of the new director of the National Police, Alexander Barrera, who has been reinstated, will be key to restoring the strength of the Army and the intelligence of the armed and police forces, essential to combat illegal armed groups and urban gangs. "We will restore order, strengthen authority and return peace to every corner of Colombia," De la Espriella said in a meeting with mayors and governors. In nine cities they will create "urban security blocks" composed of police from various specialties, focused on fighting extortion, theft and homicides. The close relationship with local power will be another turning point compared to Petro, who punished certain regions and localities for political reasons, such as Antioquia, a Uribista stronghold. De la Espriella, however, announced that he will not only tighten relations with everyone and fund the projects that the Petro era left behind, but will govern from the provinces. Besides the symbolism of being the first president to take office outside Bogotá, he has established Barranquilla on the coast as the main alternative seat of government, while Cali and Medellín will be the other two options besides the capital. He has pledged to dispatch weekly from a different department, beginning with La Guajira, as a way to learn more about the diverse problems of a country that is twice the size of Spain, crossed by three Andean mountain ranges and whose Amazonian forests represent 42% of its territory. That intricate geography is one of the reasons, along with corruption, that hinders the fight against guerrillas and other criminal gangs, as well as eradicating coca cultivation, drug trafficking, and illegal mining. "It seems like a geography designed by the devil to hide bandits," a general from the army told this newspaper when pursuing Farc leaders. "Destabilizing democracy" De la Espriella also aims to improve relations with the judiciary, the media, and the opposition, all harassed from podiums and social networks by the outgoing president. "My commitment to democratic freedom includes those who think differently from me," he said in one of his speeches, and added that Iván Cepeda "will have every guarantee to exercise opposition." But the cited senator and his far-left Historical Pact decided not to recognize him as president, something no loser has ever done, and called for "civil disobedience," as well as protests in various locations during the inauguration ceremony. "Let’s call things by their name and face them as what they are," responded De la Espriella. "The so-called 'civil disobedience' is nothing more than a euphemism to try to destabilize democracy and I will not allow it." He had already warned that he would not tolerate "any conduct aimed at promoting violence, fear and disrespect for institutions," which implies strengthening the anti-riot police and letting them act whenever protests turn, as is often the case, into violent excesses. Regarding the judges, he wanted to symbolize the turning point as soon as he received the credential as elected leader last June. He went to the Palace of Justice, where all the high courts operate, and had a meeting with its leaders. And this Wednesday, taking advantage of the strong presence of journalists in Cali, he assured that "I will always defend freedom of expression, I will defend freedom of the press." Defender of the family The new presidential family will mark another enormous difference between Gustavo Petro and Abelardo de la Espriella. The socialist has five children from three marriages and in October 2025 revealed, in a message on X, that he was separated from the first lady, Veronica Alcocer, and had a girlfriend for some time. Later it was learned that it was Vanessa Cortés, the protagonist of a mysterious nighttime stroll through the old town of Panama City, hand in hand with the president, in 2024. The recording went viral and gave rise to all kinds of speculation about the companion’s identity and the reasons the president had to display, on an official trip, an extramarital relationship. The same happened in February 2026, when he was seen walking on an island, like a tourist, hand in hand with another unknown woman, during a winter emergency. This week Alcocer, accused of corruption, traveled to Sweden, where she had already spent a long time and left Colombia in shambles due to her extravagant partying, according to the Colombian ambassador in Stockholm. Cortés is also accused of enriching herself by taking advantage of her boyfriend’s power. Apart from the love affairs of the clan leader, the eldest son Nicolás is charged with misappropriating funds of dubious origin. De la Espriella, for his part, declares himself a firm defender of "freedom, life and family." His wife and mother of his four children, Ana Lucía Pineda, 38, studied Business Administration, worked at the De la Espriella Lawyers firm, among other companies, and during the campaign was very active with "Tigeresses for the homeland." They married in 2008 and since then she has been his inseparable companion and grounding. On Friday she published on Instagram a photo of an altar dedicated to the Virgin, of whom she is very devout, with the caption "in your hands and under your mantle."

Presidents Milei, Kast, and Noboa attend the inauguration of Colombia’s new president, with whom he has held bilateral meetings Abelardo de la Espriella has turned his inauguration as the new president of Colombia into a kind of summit of the Latin American right, where its main regional leaders have seized the microphones and stages to echo their ideas. In his first speech as president, he celebrated his victory and its meaning for the political shift in Latin America. “In June the possibility emerged that Colombia would travel the path of freedom, far from the abyss of Bolivarian totalitarian models,” he stated. At the inauguration, about a dozen heads of state were invited, including Argentine Javier Milei, Chilean José Antonio Kast, Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa, and Honduran Nasry Asfura. Delegations from the United States and Israel governments also attended. “I will strengthen our relations with all the countries of the world and consolidate strategic alliances with those nations that share the values of democracy and human freedom,” De la Espriella promised. He also rejected the “ideologization of international relations” that, according to him, occurred during Gustavo Petro’s government. “Colombia, from this moment on, ceases to be an outcast that tolerates transnational crime.” From Thursday night, guests to the investiture began arriving in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city. Most attendees align ideologically with De la Espriella, who won a tightly contested June election with a speech against the left and in favor of state cuts, libertarian economics, and Christian and conservative values in society. In this context, notable absences stand out, such as the new Peruvian leader Keiko Fujimori, or Salvadoran Nayib Bukele—a figure well known in the country for his tough-hand policies, who was not in Lima either. Neither were in Cali Gustavo Petro, nor former presidents Juan Manuel Santos and Ernesto Samper. One of the first to land in the southwestern Colombian city was Chilean Kast. In a brief message upon his arrival, he praised “the republican spirit reflected in all our nations when there is a change of command,” omitting the tensions during the transition and the fact that Petro denounced electoral fraud and does not recognize his successor’s victory. “Democracy has safeguarded the freedom of our nations,” added the Chilean leader. Milei’s speech was more buoyant after he received an honorary doctorate in Administration from the University Santiago de Cali, where De la Espriella’s investiture had taken place. “The winds of history are blowing in the direction of freedom for the first time in many years,” he declared, alluding to the recent victories of the right and far-right in Chile, Peru, and, finally, Colombia. De la Espriella greeted Milei ecstatically at the start of their bilateral meeting. “Long live freedom, damn it!” the Colombian said before embracing his Argentine counterpart, who shouted “Vamos Tigre!” Milei replied: “This is the first step.” The new president held separate meetings with Noboa, whom he greeted as “dear president,” and with other regional presidents, such as Panamanian José Raúl Mulino and Paraguayan Santiago Peña. He also met with King Felipe VI of Spain. Separately, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares met with the new Colombian Foreign Minister, Omar Bula, a former diplomat aligned with MAGA and a defender of various conspiracy theories. “I will work with Minister Bula to continue deepening friendship and closeness between our peoples,” Albares said, despite De la Espriella showing affinity with Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox. On the day before the inauguration, De la Espriella and his team held a meeting with Gideon Saar, Israel’s Foreign Minister, with whom they revived the “historic bonds of friendship.” “We had a frank and cordial conversation among friends and allies,” the Colombian announced on X. Deputy President José Manuel Restrepo provided more details: “In October we will travel to Israel with a delegation of ministers to consolidate this strategic alliance, and starting today the Bi-National Economic Commission will be launched, through which we will bring more innovation, technology, investment, entrepreneurship, and opportunities for Colombian talent, especially for our youth.” One of the major shifts in the new ultranationalist government’s foreign policy is the restoration of relations with the administration of ultranationalist Benjamin Netanyahu, which Petro had broken due to the atrocities in Gaza. His agenda is very pro-Israel: he has said he will open an embassy in Jerusalem, breaking a long-standing neutrality and overlooking allegations of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians. From the United States, Donald Trump sent a delegation headed by Todd Blanche, the acting Attorney General, just backed by Congress. He was joined by other officials, such as Terrence C. Cole, administrator of the DEA, or Sara Carter, director of the National Drug Control Policy Office. It demonstrates Washington’s priorities for Colombia: security and the fight against drug trafficking. De la Espriella promised, during his speech, to join the Americas Shield, a White House strategy to boost its influence in Latin America.

Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as president of Colombia, live. Estrella Digital will offer the entire ceremony through its YouTube channel and on this same page. Colombia begins a new political era this Friday, August 7, with the inauguration of Abelardo de la Espriella as president of the Republic. The ceremony will begin at 15:00 Colombia time, which corresponds to 22:00 in peninsular Spain and 21:00 in the Canary Islands. Estrella Digital will broadcast the ceremony live. The event will take place at the USC Arena of the Santiago de Cali University, an exceptional venue for a presidential power transfer broadcast that abandons the traditional Bogotá celebration. De la Espriella will formally assume the Head of State for the constitutional period 2026-2030. The ceremony is scheduled to begin this Friday at 15:00 Colombia time. The time difference with Spain is seven hours relative to the Peninsula, so the start will be at 22:00 in Madrid and the rest of peninsular Spain. In the Canary Islands, it can be followed from 21:00. De la Espriella’s arrival to the presidency will be accompanied by a circumstance unusual in recent Colombian political history. The ceremony will take place in Cali and not in Bogota, where the transmission of the presidential power has traditionally been held. The chosen venue is the USC Arena at the Santiago de Cali University, in the capital of Valle del Cauca. The Chamber of Representatives approved at the end of July the relocation of the ceremony to Cali, after several weeks of debate about where the inauguration should take place. Initially, De la Espriella had proposed holding the ceremony in a military facility. Subsequently, a civil space in Cali was chosen, maintaining the presence of Congress at the constitutional ceremony. The inauguration can be watched live through Estrella Digital. The broadcast will allow following the event from the USC Arena, including the constitutional ceremony and the main moments of the transfer of power. The broadcast will start before 22:00 Spain time to facilitate live access and to keep the connection prepared in case of any last-minute advance or change in the protocol. The July 7 ceremony marks the formal start of Abelardo de la Espriella’s presidential term for 2026-2030. The new president comes to power after winning the runoff of the presidential election held on June 21 against Iván Cepeda, in one of the closest elections in the country's recent history. Relocating the inauguration to Cali also adds a strong symbolic component to the day. The ceremony breaks with the tradition of holding the power transfer in Bogotá and makes the capital of Valle del Cauca the political center of the country for a few hours. The scheduled start times for the ceremony are as follows: Colombia: 15:00. Peninsular Spain: 22:00. Canary Islands: 21:00. You can follow Estrella Digital on X, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

Spain reaches out to the new Colombian government The Government of Spain has reaffirmed its willingness to maintain close collaboration with the new Colombian administration during Abelardo de la Espriella’s investiture as president of the country. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has said that Spain wishes to continue strengthening bilateral relations with Colombia and to work jointly with the new cabinet that is beginning its mandate. Felipe VI represents Spain at the investiture King Felipe VI has traveled to Calí to attend the ceremony inaugurating the new Colombian president, accompanied by Albares. Before the institutional act, the monarch met with De la Espriella, a gesture through which both countries showcased the friendship and fraternal ties they have maintained for decades. The relationship with Latin America, a priority Albares has stressed that Spain maintains the same level of interest in all Latin American countries and has expressed his intention to establish close collaboration with the new Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Bula. He also highlighted that the spirit of Iberian-American fraternity will continue to be one of the pillars of Spanish foreign policy, especially in light of the upcoming international meetings planned between the two countries. A new era in Colombia The investiture of Abelardo de la Espriella marks the start of a new political chapter in Colombia and brings together various international delegations in Cali. With this visit, Felipe VI adds another institutional representation of Spain at an Ibero-American presidential inauguration, a role he has carried out for decades as part of the state's foreign policy.

"Viva Christo Rey": Religion stars in the unusual inauguration of De la Espriella in Colombia The far-right Abelardo de la Espriella took office as President of Colombia this August 7 with an agenda completely opposite to that of outgoing Gustavo Petro. The inauguration ceremony was notably marked by religious symbols and references, including statements by several spiritual leaders. De la Espriella, 48, identifies as a Roman Catholic, though for much of his public life he has described himself as an atheist. “Steadfast for the homeland. Long live Christ the King,” ended the inauguration speech of the new president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, this Friday, August 7. The far-right lawyer took the oath as head of state in an atypical ceremony in which the most emblematic symbols of his campaign—such as the military salute—and religion, with praise and prayers from spiritual leaders, were central. The venue was the USC Arena, a university coliseum in Cali, the main city in southwestern Colombia, where the session of Congress to invest De la Espriella was held, something that normally takes place in the Capitol in Bogotá, but which, by the new president’s decision and with the Congress’s approval, changed for the first time in the country’s history. The facility’s screens projected the phrase "Welcome to the Miracle Homeland" in which the new president promised to transform Colombia to follow the example of Argentine leaders Javier Milei and Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, two of his references. To view this YouTube content, you must authorize audience measurement and advertising cookies. A browser extension appears to be blocking the video player. To view this content, you must disable it on this site. With the absence of the leftist Pact Historical party, of the now-former president Gustavo Petro, who does not acknowledge his successor’s electoral victory, the session began, and after confirming the legislative quorum, a commission composed of senators and representatives left the venue to invite De la Espriella to his inauguration. At that point, a red carpet saw the march of King Felipe VI of Spain and eight Latin American presidents, including Argentine Javier Milei, Ecuadorian Daniel Noboa, and Chilean José Antonio Kast. The president arrived at the USC Arena accompanied by his wife, Ana Lucía Pineda, and their four young children, and for about twenty minutes greeted attendees with the military salute before reaching the center of the stage. The first lady wore a pink two-piece suit, while her daughters, Lucía and Francesca, wore white, and her sons, Salvador and Filipo, walked in navy blue outfits. "Today is a great day for democracy, Colombia is saved, and we will build the ‘miracle homeland’ together," said De la Espriella, who arrived wearing dark glasses and a black suit for the oath. Read also Petro leaves the Casa de Nariño and the left moves to opposition in Colombia Religion, protagonist Although Colombia is a secular state, religion was the protagonist of the solemn event with the words of Rabbi David Michaan, who read verses from the Old Testament and ended his speech with the yell of "Long live Colombia and long live Israel." Followed by Pastor Eduardo Cañas Estrada and Archbishop Francisco Múnera, who separately urged an end to terrorist attacks, for security to return, and for unity to prevail. To view this X (Twitter) content, you must authorize audience measurement and advertising cookies. In this part of the ceremony, De la Espriella left the USC Arena and arrived at the Batallón Pichincha to deliver, as he wished, his first address as president of Colombia to the military, a country he will lead for the next four years. Read also What to expect from Abelardo de la Espriella’s security strategy during his term? Emotional moments Singer Maia performed the Colombian national anthem, a moment in which De la Espriella appeared moved and sang it with the artist, who joined him at several campaign events. The next item was the oath and inauguration, administered by Senator Honorio Henríquez of the Uribe-aligned Democratic Centre. Once he swore, the president brought his hand to his temple, saluted, and shouted, "Steadfast for the homeland," after which the more than 2,000 people who attended the USC Arena cheered with emotion. Henríquez placed the sash on De la Espriella, and on the USC Arena screens they projected images of the military recognition in which soldiers fired 21 gun salutes with the colors of the Colombian flag from the José María Córdova Cadet Military School in Bogotá. The first lady approached and kissed him amid the audience’s applause, and then it was the turn of the four children of the new leader. Francesca, the youngest, confidently walked the stage with the baton of command moments after it had been handed to her father. Read also A tough stance on crime and ‘responsible fracking,’ Debuts of De la Espriella as president Special guest: a 74-year-old street vendor Before swearing in José Manuel Restrepo as the new Colombian vice president, Luis Felipe Yagüe appeared on the podium, a farmer and street vendor, 74 years old, who became one of the most famous figures of the transition period. The vendor—whom De la Espriella invited to his inauguration after a viral video showed a university professor telling him he would stop buying panela, a sugar cane product, for having voted for the current president—hugged the president, who asked the crowd to clap for him. To view this X (Twitter) content, you must authorize audience measurement and advertising cookies. Senator Henríquez gave a welcoming speech to De la Espriella in which he urged the new president to “rebuild the country’s security,” and then Maia returned to the stage to sing Leonard Cohen’s "Hallelujah" as the image of the Virgin Mary accompanied the broadcast of the ceremony. Read also What do Colombians expect from the government of Abelardo de la Espriella? With EFE

Bogotá, Colombia —Abelardo De La Espriella was inaugurated as the President of Colombia in a ceremony today, beginning his four year term. The hard-right populist narrowly beat rival Iván Cepeda in a June run-off race, sealing the end of the country’s first leftist government led by outgoing President Gustavo Petro. De la Espriella pledges a sweeping crackdown on corruption and insecurity in Colombia, as well as pro-business and traditional family policies. The president was sworn in at a ceremony at a university in Cali, Colombia’s third largest city, before members of congress. He later travelled to a nearby military base to deliver his inaugural address. “I am sending a firm message to the people: the time for the recovery of order, authority, and freedom has begun,” said De La Espriella during hisfirst speechas president. “In the government of ‘The Tiger’, all the rules of democracy will be respected; there will be no room for tricks against the legitimate exercise of the mandate that begins today,” he added. De la Espriella broke with historical precedent by holding the inauguration outside of the capital, Bogotá, a move that required lawmakers to approve the relocationof congress. He also faced criticism after proposing to hold the ceremony in a military base as a tribute to the armed forces, a move that the outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, blocked. “The law dictates where the seat of Congress is, and it is in a session of Congress where the new president must take office, just as I and everyone else did,”Petroposted on X days before the event. Still, de la Espriella pushed to move the congress to Cali, part of his pledge to devolve power to Colombia’s regions. The new president also broke with tradition bybarringformer presidents like Juan Manuel Santos and Ernesto Samper from attendance to the inauguration, arguing “coherence” and his distancing from traditional politics. His rival for the right-wing ticket, Paloma Valencia, was not invited either. The White House sent a delegation led by Attorney General Todd Blanche. Other right-wing presidents and political leaders were also present, including Argentinian President Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, Paraguay’s Santiago Peña, Costa Rica’s Laura Fernández, Panamá’s José Raúl Mulino, the Dominican Republic’s Luis Abinader, Chile’s José Antonio Kast, and Honduras’s Nasry Asfura. El Salvador was represented by Vice President Félix Ulloa. Spain’s King Felipe VI and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were also present. On the campaign trail, de la Espriella sought to distinguish himself from traditional political figures like Álvaro Uribe and his Democratic Center (CD) party, who have been the face of the right for years. Uribe and the CD’s candidate, Valencia, endorsed de la Espriella after a disastrous result in the first round of the presidential election. “I ask God that in these coming years, starting with the government of President Abelardo De La Espriella, tranquility and happiness prevail for all Colombians,”saidUribe ahead of the inauguration. But the CD, which has the second most seats in congress, will remain a powerful lawmaking force that de la Espriella must negotiate with. De la Espriella and his newly created political partyDefensores de la Patria(Defenders of the Homeland) will also have to contend with the leftist Historic Pact party led by Petro and Cepeda, which has the most seats in congress. With the Historic Pact boycotting the ceremony and a total breakdown in the handover, Colombia is set for unprecedented tensions between the government and the opposition. As Vice President José Manuel Abondano is already scheduled to make the new administration’s first diplomatic visit to Israel in October, De La Espriella begins his term with a series of radical changes that offer a glimpse into what his administration will look like. Featured image:Abelardo de la Espriella via X. Angie Acosta Angie Acosta is a contributing reporter to Latin America Reports. Originally from Colombia, Angie holds a degree in Journalism and Communications from Rosario University in Bogotá, and has worked at media outlets including Univision, Red+ Noticias, and Claro Colombia.

He swore to faithfully respect the Constitution and the laws of Colombia. Millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella officially took the presidency of the country on Friday, August 7, determined to combat the guerrillas and drug trafficking, a change of course that tightens the country’s ties with Washington. Elected on June 21, this ally of American President Donald Trump, who moreover holds American citizenship, took the oath in Cali (southwest), the country’s third city. An unusual location, because Colombian presidents are traditionally sworn in in the capital, Bogota. Abelardo de la Espriella chose a city recently marked by attacks claimed by guerrillas, near territories controlled by armed groups that were behind the worst wave of violence the South American country has known in a decade. In his first speech as president, at a military barracks, before several hundred soldiers in uniform, armored vehicles and two helicopters, the 48-year-old right-wing figure promised to fight “relentlessly narcoterrorism and all criminal organizations that threaten Colombia’s freedom,” saying he aims to restore “order, authority, and freedom” in the country, the world’s leading cocaïne producer. Abelardo de la Espriella succeeds Colombia’s first leftist president in history, Gustavo Petro, for a four-year term. He intends to end the peace talks through which the outgoing president had attempted, unsuccessfully, to negotiate the disarmament of organizations involved in drug trafficking. “The option of dialogue” pursued by Gustavo Petro “is completely exhausted,” his successor said, leaving two options to members of illegal groups: “to submit” to the law or “to face the resolute force of the State.” The man who calls himself “El tigre” (“the tiger,” in French) also stated his intention to eradicate coca plantations, an ingredient entering into the production of cocaine, “by all means,” and will authorize oil and gas exploitation by hydraulic fracturing. He also said he wants to publish a decree of “public spending freeze,” cut taxes for the wealthiest, and wage a “cultural battle to restore the value of the family.” Shortly after his inauguration, the United States said it wanted to financially support the policy of the new Colombian head of state. “The United States, in cooperation with Congress, intends to announce aid of one billion dollars as part of a package of security measures in support of the government of President de la Espriella in the implementation of our shared objectives,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement. For the presidential inauguration day, Cali was placed under tight protection, with the deployment of 11,000 soldiers and the installation of an anti-drone system to protect guests, mainly leaders of the Latin American right. About a dozen heads of state, including those of Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador, representatives from the White House led by the U.S. Attorney General, as well as King Felipe VI of Spain, attended the event. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was also present. Gustavo Petro, who declined to participate in the ceremony, left the presidential residence on Friday. Left-wing supporters held peaceful demonstrations in major cities across the country after losing the election by the narrowest margin in history, less than 1%. A well-known lawyer, Abelardo de la Espriella burst onto the campaign scene and quickly won support with his spectacular rallies and speeches delivered behind bulletproof glass, punctuated by a military salute to law enforcement. His rise to power further tilts Latin America to the right, amid a U.S.-led anti-drug war. The American president expressed support for the lawyer and businessman, promising “unprecedented” relations between Bogotá and Washington after tensions under Petro’s government. One of the first acts of his administration will be to join the “Shield of the Americas,” the alliance of countries led by Trump to fight drug trafficking. With a lack of a majority in a divided Parliament, the new president pledged to intensify bombing of guerrilla camps, with support from Israel and the United States, or to build high-capacity prisons, as in El Salvador, to combat crime. Bogotá and Washington maintained a close military collaboration in the early 2000s, which strengthened the armed offensive against guerrillas, such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, Marxist), which eventually signed a peace agreement in 2016. But he inherits armed forces faced with “limited capacity” in numbers and a “lack of equipment,” notes Renata Segura of the NGO International Crisis Group. The expert worries about possible “collateral damage” affecting civilians if heavy artillery is deployed against groups that are “deeply rooted in the communities.” “In my opinion, this is an act of provocation,” says Julian Martinez, 38, a lawyer and former military officer, in Cali. “The armed groups may think, ‘Let’s see who is the bravest and strongest,’” he fears. Le Monde with AFP

Colombia's new president vows to remake the country — and challenge rebel groups BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia's new president will be sworn into office Friday amid tight security measures aimed at preventing protests and potential attacks by rebel groups. Abelardo de la Espriella, an outspoken conservative who has been praised by President Trump, has promised to confront rebel groups in Colombia with greater military force while cutting government spending to reduce a budget deficit that doubled under outgoing President Gustavo Petro. De la Espriella, a former criminal defense lawyer who ran as a political outsider, is breaking with tradition by holding his inauguration ceremony in Cali rather than the capital, Bogotá. The 48-year-old chose the southwestern city, which has been hit hard by drug violence and attacks from rebel groups, as the site of his swearing-in. Some 11,000 troops have been deployed to the city to ensure the safety of the new president and the roughly dozen heads of state attending the inauguration. Those expected to attend include Argentina's Javier Milei, Ecuador's Daniel Noboa and Chile's José Antonio Kast, alongside U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and King Felipe VI of Spain. Drones have been banned, and privately owned vehicles will not be allowed on city roads during Inauguration Day. "One of the fundamental priorities of my government will be to exert control of our territory," de la Espriella said in a speech earlier this week. "If we don't control our cities and our rural areas, this nation will lose its sovereignty." Over the past four years, drug gangs and rebel groups linked to decades of political conflict in Colombia have become increasingly powerful in rural areas, where they extort local businesses and profit from activities such as illegal mining and the drug trade. Petro, a progressive, attempted to negotiate peace agreements with many of these groups under a strategy known as "Total Peace". But critics say the strategy failed, with some armed groups using ceasefires granted by the government to rearm, regroup and expand their control over rural communities. De la Espriella has said he will end peace talks with Colombia's rebel groups and confront them with greater military force. The wealthy lawyer, who has never held elected office, supports a tougher approach to crime that includes building large prisons and using aerial spraying and drones to destroy illegal coca crops, a practice Colombia halted more than a decade ago because of environmental concerns. Elizabeth Dickinson, a Colombia analyst at the International Crisis Group, said that with de la Espriella, "the pendulum swings back to the right" after four years of a left-leaning administration that struggled to achieve results in negotiations with armed groups. She said increased military pressure could help weaken rebel groups and encourage some fighters to demobilize, but completely ending the possibility of future talks could be counterproductive. "We're talking about a conflict that has an estimated 27,000 individuals involved in different armed and criminal groups," Dickinson said. "These individuals will need a route back into normal life." De la Espriella won Colombia's presidential election by about 250,000 votes, defeating left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda by roughly one percentage point. He is the latest conservative leader elected in Latin America as voters increasingly focus on crime and security concerns. Right-wing leaders have recently won elections in Peru, Chile and Ecuador, reflecting a conservative shift in parts of South America. These politicians have sought closer alignment with the Trump administration on issues such as immigration and anti-drug policies. De la Espriella has expressed support for the Trump administration's controversial campaign of militarly strikes against vessels suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, in which more than 200 people have been killed. He is also expected to speed up the extradition of rebel leaders wanted in the United States on drug charges. He has begun aligning Colombia's foreign policy with Washington by cutting diplomatic ties with Cuba and restoring relations with Israel. Domestically, de la Espriella has said he wants to cut government spending by as much as 40% to reduce the growing budget deficit. He has already announced plans to close 14 Colombian embassies in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. But de la Espriella will have to build a majority in Colombia's fragmented Congress if he wants to push through deeper reforms, said Sergio Guzmán, a political analyst in Bogotá. The new president also faces opposition from Petro, who has refused to acknowledge the election result and claimed, without providing credible evidence, that the vote count was rigged. Guzmán said the fraud allegations could fuel protests against de la Espriella's government among Colombians who are already concerned that his anti-crime policies could lead to human rights abuses by security forces. "Petro is going to be a constant nuisance for De la Espriella," Guzmán said. "But I think De la Espriella is ready for a fight with Petro, both rhetorically and potentially on the streets.

Felipe VI y Albares asisten a la investidura de Abelardo de la Espriella en Colombia La delegación española participa este viernes en la ceremonia presidencial que, por primera vez en la historia del país, se celebra fuera de Bogotá y convierte a Cali en el centro político de la jornada La representación institucional de España mantiene una de sus principales tradiciones diplomáticas en Iberoamérica con un nuevo desplazamiento del jefe del Estado, que vuelve a ejercer el papel que desempeña desde hace tres décadas en los relevos presidenciales de la región. La agenda internacional de la Corona suma una nueva cita de alto nivel con el desplazamiento del monarca a Colombia para asistir a la transmisión del mando presidencial. El viaje refuerza la presencia institucional española en un acto que adquiere un carácter inédito al celebrarse por primera vez fuera de la capital colombiana. Una delegación española encabezada por el Rey El Rey Felipe VI llega este viernes a la ciudad colombiana de Cali acompañado por el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación, José Manuel Albares, para asistir a la toma de posesión del nuevo presidente de Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella. Fuentes del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores han confirmado que Albares forma parte de la delegación española, después de no acompañar al jefe del Estado el pasado 28 de julio durante la investidura de la presidenta de Perú, Keiko Fujimori, debido a que aquella ceremonia coincidía con la celebración del último Consejo de Ministros del curso. Una ceremonia con un marcado carácter histórico Según ha informado la Casa Real, Felipe VI aterriza durante la mañana en el aeropuerto Alfonso Bonilla Aragón de Cali. Antes del inicio de la ceremonia mantiene un encuentro con el presidente electo, líder del partido Defensores de la pàtria, considerado de perfil populista de extrema derecha. La reunión tiene lugar en el Centro Cultural de Cali, un edificio que desde este 7 de agosto pasa a convertirse en la sede presidencial del nuevo mandatario en la capital del departamento del Valle del Cauca. Posteriormente, el Rey asiste a la ceremonia oficial de transmisión del mando presidencial, prevista para las 15.00 horas en el Arena USC de Cali. Una vez concluido el acto institucional, emprende su regreso a España. Cali sustituye por primera vez a Bogotá La investidura de Abelardo de la Espriella marca un hito en la historia política colombiana al celebrarse, por primera vez, fuera de Bogotá. La elección de Cali como escenario del relevo presidencial convierte a la capital del Valle del Cauca en el centro institucional del país durante una jornada que rompe con la tradición seguida hasta ahora en todas las tomas de posesión de los presidentes colombianos. Un papel consolidado en las investiduras iberoamericanas Con este viaje, Felipe VI alcanza las 24 representaciones de España en ceremonias de toma de posesión de mandatarios iberoamericanos, una función que desempeña de forma continuada desde 1996, cuando todavía era Príncipe de Asturias y recibió este cometido del Rey Juan Carlos I. La investidura de Colombia se incorpora a la ronda de ceremonias presidenciales celebradas este año, tras las de Portugal, Chile y Costa Rica. Los años con mayor actividad diplomática para el monarca en este ámbito han sido 2022, cuando acudió a las tomas de posesión de Honduras, Chile, Costa Rica y Colombia, y 2024, con las ceremonias celebradas en Guatemala, El Salvador, Panamá y República Dominicana. Sexta presencia del Rey en una investidura colombiana La ceremonia de este viernes supone la sexta ocasión en la que Felipe VI participa en una toma de posesión presidencial en Colombia. La más reciente tiene lugar en 2022, durante la investidura de Gustavo Petro. Con anterioridad, cuando todavía era Príncipe de Asturias, también asiste a las ceremonias de Andrés Pastrana en 1998, Álvaro Uribe en 2002 y 2006, y Juan Manuel Santos en 2010.

Tough security policy, decentralizing power and closer to the U.S.: the promises of De la Espriella for Colombia - The Colombian president, who will be inaugurated this Friday, aims to dismantle Petro's Total Peace policy - In foreign relations, he seeks to restore ties with Israel and break with Cuba and Nicaragua The far-right Abelardo de la Espriella is to be inaugurated this Friday as the new president of Colombia, replacing the leftist Gustavo Petro, with a government program that defends a hard-line approach to security and the fight against drug trafficking, that bets on decentralizing executive tasks and promises to turn foreign relations around. As a first sign of this commitment to decentralizing power, De la Espriella’s inauguration will not take place in Bogotá, where tradition marks, but in Cali, capital of the Valle del Cauca department and the main city of the southwest, after De la Espriella discarded his initial plan to celebrate it, due to the risk of an eruption of Puracé volcano, at a military garrison in Popayán, in the neighboring Cauca department, where he wanted to pay tribute to “the true heroes of the homeland.” He will do it from Cali, because this region “deserves to feel from day one of the government the firm and determined presence of the State in a region that has suffered as little as few from the blows of narco-terrorism,” he said. In fact, the first Security Council of the Executive will be held in this region, as an “unequivocal signal” that the southwest is a priority in the security sphere. For his inauguration, which will take place amid a strong security presence, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, is expected to attend, as well as the presidents of Argentina, Javier Milei; Ecuador, Daniel Noboa; Chile, José Antonio Kast; Honduras, Nasry Asfura; and Costa Rica, Laura Fernández Delgado; as well as the foreign ministers of Israel, Sweden and Brazil, among others. The interim U.S. attorney general will attend his inauguration Representing the United States, the interim U.S. attorney general, Todd Blanche, will attend, along with the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Terry Cole, and Republican Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, chair of the National Security Subcommittee of the House of Representatives, among others. In his latest video as elected president released this week, De la Espriella, who calls himself the Tiger and speaks of Colombia as the Miracle Homeland, has promised that it will be a “austere ceremony,” which will be 50% cheaper than the previous inauguration and has stated that if it were up to him it would be cheaper still, but that the outgoing Petro administration is in charge of hiring it. “This is an austere, simple inauguration, but full of patriotism, passion and love for this blessed homeland that God gave us,” said this lawyer by training who won the runoff on June 21 with 49.66% of the votes (12,959,542) against 48.70% (12,708,712) for his opponent, leftist Iván Cepeda, who was backed by Petro. From the campaign and since learning he had won the election, De la Espriella has tried to distance himself from his predecessors, presenting himself as someone who comes from outside politics with a different style and willing to work from day one. His communication style is innovative: he transmits through online live streams and videos, where he plays with the colors of his campaign, the colors of the Colombian flag, and appeals directly to the citizens. In recent weeks, his social media activity has been frenetic, revealing the composition of his Government and even holding several meetings of the elected Cabinet, in addition to announcing all kinds of measures. And he has even managed to organize a spiritual retreat with members of his Executive. An 18-minister cabinet of diverse profiles His Cabinet is composed of 18 ministers, including former lawmakers, former governors, businessmen, and more technical profiles, with experience in areas such as health, justice, economy, or rural development. The figure chosen to lead the Interior portfolio is Rodrigo Lara Restrepo, who was the first appointment announced by De la Espriella, describing him as an “anti-corruption czar.” Lara Restrepo is a lawyer and the son of former Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, who was assassinated by hitmen under orders of Pablo Escobar in 1984. For Defense, the far-right has chosen retired General Jorge Eduardo Mora, who has spent 36 years in the Armed Forces. Throughout his extensive military career, he has led operations against organized crime, having led the Special Brigade against Narcotrafficking between 2012 and 2015 and in 2017 created and commanded the Foreign Deployment Force Against Transnational Threats (FUDAT), a unit focused on dismantling organized crime structures. De la Espriella has charged him with one of his main missions: restoring public order in areas affected by the armed conflict, starting with Norte de Santander, and his role will be crucial when it comes to imposing the hardline policy that the new head of state envisions against narcotrafficking and armed groups. The Foreign Minister will be analyst Omar Bula Escobar, who has worked as a university professor and, according to his LinkedIn profile, has spent more than 17 years at the UN in the World Food Programme (WFP) or on projects in Iraq and Africa, among others. On his X account he describes himself as “Christian” and “pro-Western.” His uncle, the diplomat Gonzalo Bula Hoyos, was the godfather at De la Espriella’s christening. The new foreign minister will have to implement the far-right’s new foreign policy, which seeks to restore relations with Israel after Petro’s rupture, create a new alliance with the Donald Trump administration, and break ties with Cuba or Nicaragua. As a curiosity, for the Science, Technology, and Innovation portfolio, De la Espriella has selected industrial engineer Claudia Benavides Salazar through one of his flagship projects before the start of his term, the so-called Talent Bank, a mechanism to identify and employ Colombians who want to serve the country from the Executive and that seeks to create a team formed by “the most capable, the most honest and the most committed to Colombia, regardless of their political origin or personal closeness to the elected president,” as described by De la Espriella’s office. The president-elect, who comes from the private sector, has explained in a video that Benavides Salazar enrolled in that platform and from there, “without having seen it” in her life, his name came out. After two interviews, he decided to appoint her minister. New Presidency headquarters in Barranquilla De la Espriella will lead the Government from the new permanent Presidency headquarters in Barranquilla, as part of his plan to decentralize the Government and bring it closer to the regions. In Bogotá, he has ordered the transformation of the Casa de Nariño, which has been the official residence and where presidents have dispatched government affairs, into a public museum, and to transform the San Carlos Palace, where the Foreign Ministry is located, into a presidential office in the capital. In line with this vision, he will present to Congress a bill to constitutionally recognize Barranquilla as an alternate capital of Colombia alongside Bogotá. In Barranquilla, De la Espriella will conduct his duties from the Palace of the Customhouse and the Paradise Battalion, where he will chair the Council of Ministers and receive national and international delegations. A new security strategy This same Friday, as soon as he is sworn in, De la Espriella will launch what he has been promising since the campaign: a new security strategy, which he has outlined with General Mora and which he plans to formalize before the military leadership. As he has anticipated, the goal is to “recover sovereignty and protect citizens from crime and narco-terrorism.” Thus, on the same day, he plans to sign a decree creating the Urban Security Defense Block with a view to reducing crime in cities such as Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, and Bucaramanga, which the far-right has promised will be “the largest urban security operation in Colombia” and which, according to him, will put an end to extortion, robberies, and homicides in the metropolises. He has also revealed that he will dismantle Petro’s Peace Total policy, launched in 2022 by the Petro administration to end the armed conflict through dialogue with guerrillas and processes to subject criminal and drug-trafficking gangs to Justice. De la Espriella believes this initiative has translated into “impunity, unacceptable concessions, and territorial surrender to illegal armed groups.” That is why he has formed a team that will “dismantle that false Peace Total and review the agreements, benefits, ceasefires, arrest warrants, and incentives granted to criminal structures during the outgoing government.” And he has warned that from August 7 onward he will reclaim the rule of law, reactivate existing arrest warrants, and pursue narco-terrorists. De la Espriella has given an ultimatum to the leaders of these gangs to hold themselves accountable before Justice from his inauguration. Another campaign promise is the fight against corruption, and he has not waited to take office to file four complaints about alleged irregularities during Petro’s government related to public contracting in cyber security and health. A shift in foreign policy: from Israel to Cuba In foreign policy, De la Espriella aims to make a complete turn in what Colombian diplomacy has been under Petro’s mandate. One of his first announced steps is the restoration of ties with Israel, which his predecessor’s government broke in May 2024 over the offensive against the Gaza Strip. As part of this measure, Bula Escobar met in July with Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, in Washington to agree on a roadmap for the “full and immediate resumption” of bilateral diplomatic and economic relations. The pact contemplates the exchange of ambassadors, the removal of the reciprocal visa requirement to travel to the other country, and progress toward opening the Colombian Embassy in Jerusalem, which De la Espriella’s team regards as “the capital of Israel.” Before Petro’s rupture, the Colombian diplomatic mission was in Tel Aviv. In this way, De la Espriella’s government will follow in the footsteps of the Trump Administration, which moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 during its first term. Moreover, the new president has advanced that he wants to “optimize” the country’s diplomatic network to build a more modern foreign policy focused on “defending national interests, so he will eliminate costly bureaucratic structures that do not yield concrete results for the country.” In a first stage, his administration will close the embassies in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Romania, Senegal and South Africa, in addition to suspending the opening of a legation in Palestine. De la Espriella has explained that this does not constitute a rupture of ties, with the exception of Cuba and Nicaragua, “in relation to whose regimes the new government has announced a position of total institutional distance.” In contrast to the closure of the Colombian embassy in Algeria, the far-right has announced a “strategic rapprochement” with Morocco to strengthen economic, trade, and investment relations. In this context, his Minister of Commerce, Mauricio Gómez Amín, held a meeting with the Moroccan ambassador in Chile, Kenza El Ghali, to push the bilateral agenda in those areas. In tune with Trump The De la Espriella era will be marked by alignment with the Trump Administration, which supported him during the election campaign, in contrast to the differences and tensions with Petro. One of the first official trips of the new president’s team has been to Washington, where his running mate in the election and vice president, José Manuel Restrepo, met in mid-July with Rubio in a meeting focused on strengthening the bilateral relationship. Restrepo conveyed the new Colombian government’s interest in becoming part of the Anguished Shield (Spanish: Escudo de las Américas), a “military coalition to eradicate drug cartels,” as Trump described, in addition to his willingness to strengthen cooperation on security and eradicating illegal crops. De la Espriella himself has indicated that starting this Friday Colombia will join the Anguished Shield “to combat narco-terrorism as it should be” and, in fact, Medellín will host the main headquarters of this U.S. initiative. So far, countries such as Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Peru have joined this project. Meanwhile, according to a State Department statement, Rubio told Restrepo of Trump’s administration’s desire to “work closely” with De la Espriella’s government to strengthen economic ties and promote “security cooperation, both bilaterally and regionally.” Bukele, Trump, and Milei inspire De la Espriella De la Espriella arrives at the presidency of Colombia with a vision inspired by Donald Trump, Milei, and Nayib Bukele, focused on security. One of his major campaign promises was the construction of mega-prisons, a project still to be seen how it will materialize. As evident in the campaign and the transitional phase, he conceives politics as entertainment, the same view he holds of lawyering, and before his followers he presented himself in the electoral race wearing the Colombia national team jersey, a hat, and behind bulletproof glass. During his years as a lawyer, he became known for defending figures such as former president Álvaro Uribe, who was close to his father; the businessman Álex Saab, frontman for the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro; or David Murcia Guzmán, founder of DMG, the largest pyramid scheme in Colombia. In addition to being a lawyer, he has been an entrepreneur and has built a fortune with projects of diverse kinds within his De la Espriella Style brand, which includes alcoholic beverages, Defensor rum, and a line of men’s clothing. It remains to be seen how he will apply this experience to his governance of the country.

Trump ally Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia president The right-wing ex-lawyer who calls himself ‘The Tiger’ vowed to bomb cocaine labs, build mega prisons and usher in closer ties with the US Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella took office Friday, vowing to wage war on drug-running guerrillas and usher in a new era of close ties with the United States. The flamboyant former lawyer brings a lurch to the right for the Andean nation, vowing to bomb jungle cocaine labs, build “mega prisons” and slash the size of the state. De la Espriella and his Vice-President Jose Manuel Restrepo cheered, embraced and performed their campaign’s characteristic military salute after taking their respective oaths. After four years of diplomatic rows with the US, President Donald Trump now has a keen ally in Bogota. The 48-year-old president, who holds dual US and Colombian citizenship, has offered to launch joint military operations and even host US troops on Colombian soil. The US State Department said on Friday that the Trump administration planned to provide US$1 billion in security assistance to the De la Espriella government.

Abelardo de la Espriella will be sworn in as Colombia’s president on Friday, August 7, in an unprecedented inauguration ceremony held outside the capital Bogotá, with the formal transfer of power taking place at the Arena of the Universidad Santiago de Cali (USC) before the new president delivers his first address to the nation from a military canton. The ceremony marks a departure from Colombia’s recent presidential tradition. For the first time in recent history, the main investiture will be held in Cali, with the proceedings divided between two locations. The formal ceremony at the Universidad Santiago de Cali is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. There, Congress will install the solemn session at which De la Espriella will take the constitutional oath and formally assume the presidency. According to the protocol published by Congress, the president of the Senate, Honorio Henríquez, will place the presidential sash on De la Espriella. The ceremony will also include the swearing-in of Vice President José Manuel Restrepo and an official intervention by the incoming government. However, De la Espriella’s first presidential address will not take place at the university arena. Following the formal investiture, the new president and members of his cabinet will travel to Cantón Militar Pichincha, where military honors accompanying the transfer of command will be held. It is there that De la Espriella is expected to address Colombians for the first time as head of state. The decision to move the inaugural speech to a military installation adds an unusual dimension to the ceremony and underscores the importance the incoming administration has placed on the armed forces at the outset of its term. The inauguration will also have a strong international presence. King Felipe VI of Spain is expected to attend, alongside the presidents of Argentina, Javier Milei; Ecuador, Daniel Noboa; Chile, José Antonio Kast; Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz; and Paraguay, Santiago Peña. A high-level delegation from the United States, representing President Donald Trump’s administration, will also attend. The presence of heads of state and senior American officials makes the Cali ceremony an important diplomatic event as Colombia begins a new political chapter. De la Espriella arrives at the Casa de Nariño after defeating left-wing senator Iván Cepeda in the presidential runoff on June 21. His assumption of office, however, comes amid an unusually tense transition. The incoming administration ordered an immediate suspension of the formal handover process after outgoing President Gustavo Petro publicly questioned the legitimacy of De la Espriella’s victory, claiming that the president-elect had not actually won the election and alleging electoral fraud without presenting evidence. Restrepo announced that the technical committees responsible for reviewing information from government ministries had consequently been frozen. “No one has the right to disregard that popular mandate or question the legitimacy of the president-elect,” Restrepo said in defending the decision to suspend the transition meetings. Petro subsequently intensified his criticism, maintaining that the real winner of the election was Cepeda, the governing coalition’s candidate. De la Espriella responded by accusing the outgoing administration of being a “corrupt government” and said he would not legitimize what he described as an attempt to undermine the constitutional order. Against that backdrop, Thursday’s investiture will serve not only as the formal transfer of presidential power but as the opening act of a sharply contested new administration. From the university arena to the military canton, De la Espriella’s first day in office is set to combine constitutional ceremony, military symbolism and international diplomacy in a presidential inauguration unlike any Colombia has seen in recent decades.