Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as the new president of Colombia on Friday during a heavily guarded ceremony in Cali. The 48-year-old far-right leader pledged to launch a new era for the country focused on combating crime and narco-terrorism with a heavy-handed approach. In his final address before taking office, he said the government would recover sovereignty and protect citizens from criminals.
The inauguration took place away from the traditional Capitol in Bogota. The city of Cali woke up under a security lockdown enforced by 11,000 military personnel and an anti-drone system designed to protect attending guests. Attendees included a dozen heads of state, King Felipe VI of Spain, and the United States attorney general.
Outgoing president Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist leader, did not attend the ceremony. Petro departed the Nariño House hours earlier, bidding farewell with a brief message saying he hoped the public would remember them and wishing them freedom and life. Allies of Petro organized protests across major cities, refusing to recognize the election outcome after it was decided by the narrowest margin recorded in Colombian history.
Security policy and international relations
De la Espriella plans to dismantle total peace, the signature policy of Petro that sought negotiations with all armed groups in Colombia. The new president promised to increase military operations, expand security force presence in heavily affected regions, and intensify aerial bombings of guerrilla camps with assistance from Israel and the United States. He also announced plans to build mega-prisons patterned after those constructed in El Salvador, signaling a return to early 21st-century military cooperation between Bogota and Washington.
Former United States president Donald Trump openly supported De la Espriella during his campaign. In response, De la Espriella promised that Colombia would build unprecedented ties with the White House. As part of this foreign policy shift, the new administration announced it would sever diplomatic relations with Nicaragua and Cuba, two nations that previously served as guarantors during peace talks with guerrilla forces. Prior to his swearing-in, De la Espriella met with allied leaders including Javier Milei, Jose Antonio Kast, and Daniel Noboa to discuss bilateral trade and security cooperation.
Opposition response and background
As international dignitaries gathered in Cali, former presidential candidate and senator Ivan Cepeda led a civil disobedience rally outside the Metropolitano stadium in Barranquilla. Speaking before thousands of supporters, Cepeda declared that De la Espriella was transitioning from an extortionist of drug traffickers into someone extorted by the United States. Cepeda stated that his movement does not recognize the legitimacy of the new government and warned that they would respond peacefully but forcefully to any violation of public rights.
Cepeda explained his absence from the ceremony by asserting that the new president holds dual nationality, which he claimed forces him to put American interests first. The opposition leader emphasized that his coalition represents the primary political force in the country, holding the largest caucus in Congress and half the electorate. He called on supporters to maintain public mobilizations ahead of local elections scheduled for October 2027.
Known by the nickname El Tigre, De la Espriella built his career as a defense attorney for paramilitaries, corrupt politicians, and drug traffickers. An amateur opera singer and owner of the De la Espriella Style clothing brand, he entered politics as an independent candidate without a party, holding campaign events featuring fireworks and bulletproof glass shields. During the campaign, he told AFP that he was an entrepreneur of realities rather than a merchant of illusions. Having previously lived in Florence, Italy, he now leads a cabinet dominated by traditional right-wing figures while facing the challenge of governing a nation with more than 25,000 armed fighters and an economy driven by the world's highest cocaine production.
