Colombia’s De la Espriella Takes Power, Vows Crime Crackdown

Abelardo de la Espriella takes the presidential oath during an inauguration ceremony at the Santiago de Cali University in Cali, Colombia, on Aug. 7. Photographer: Jair F. Coll/Bloomberg Photo by Jair F. Coll /Bloomberg

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(Bloomberg) — Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s president Friday, marking the start of a conservative government that promises a sharp break with Gustavo Petro’s leftist administration as concerns over the nation’s finances and increased violence cloud the transition.

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The 48-year-old lawyer took the oath before Congress at a ceremony in Cali, becoming the first Colombian president in recent history inaugurated outside Bogotá. He succeeds Petro, the nation’s first leftist leader, who declined to attend after repeatedly questioning the legitimacy of De la Espriella’s narrow election victory over Iván Cepeda.

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“The time for restoring order, authority and freedom has begun,” De la Espriella said in his inaugural address, promising to build mega-prisons, use the military to fight criminal organizations and eradicate coca crops with herbicides. “Those who did not believe in my proposal will find, in the facts, that this project will serve the common good.”

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The new president said that attempts to negotiate with criminals “is exhausted,” referring to Petro’s attempts at peace talks with the armed groups that effectively dominate huge swaths of the country. Members of organized crime groups “face two paths: submit to the rule of law or confront the resolute force of the Colombian state,” he said. “No heinous crime will be treated with kid gloves by the Colombian state.”

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Argentina’s Javier Milei, Spain’s King Felipe VI and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were in attendance at the swearing-in ceremony at a Cali university, but De la Espriella moved to a nearby military facility and instead gave his inaugural address to a field full of members of Colombia’s military. 

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“Make no mistake, the tiger has arrived,” De la Espriella said. “They will learn just how hard it bites when it comes to defending the Colombian people.”

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Shortly after the president’s speech, the US announced plans for a $1 billion financial package to support his administration’s fight against crime and strengthen Colombia’s energy sector, extending President Donald Trump’s backing of De la Espriella during his presidential campaign. 

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Some of De la Espriella’s most immediate challenges will be to turn an electoral mandate of promises of lower taxes, stronger security and a smaller state into legislation. His party holds only four seats in the Senate, forcing him to rely on support from traditional conservative and centrist parties to pass his economic program and other major initiatives.

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De la Espriella also pledged to revive oil and gas exploration, boost Ecopetrol’s finances and restore what he described as “responsible fracking.” His approach represents a reversal from Petro’s efforts to curb fossil-fuel development. He also said he would issue a decree freezing public spending. 

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Security concerns mounted in the days leading to the inauguration, with an alleged bomb plot linked to dissident fighters from Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, that authorities foiled near Cali just days earlier. A car bomb in the northeastern city of Cúcuta wounded 12 police officers and three civilians last weekend.