Colombia’s de la Espriella sworn in, pledges hardline security and fiscal overhaul
The new president has outlined a sharp pivot in foreign policy, aligning with the US-backed Shield of the Americas coalition while severing ties with Cuba and Nicaragua, as protests erupt across major cities.
Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s president on Friday, formally succeeding the leftist Gustavo Petro and marking a decisive ideological shift for the nation. The 48-year-old right-wing lawyer, known to supporters as "El Tigre," broke with tradition by holding the inauguration ceremony in Cali rather than the capital, Bogota. The choice of venue, a university auditorium in the volatile southwest, was interpreted as a symbolic rejection of Petro’s negotiated peace strategy and a direct acknowledgement of the region’s history with armed conflict.
In his inaugural address, de la Espriella declared that the option of dialogue with rebel groups was "completely exhausted." He vowed to "relentlessly defeat narco-terrorism" and restore order, authority, and freedom. The new president outlined a stringent domestic agenda that includes cutting government spending by up to 40 per cent and reviving the country’s oil and gas industry. He also indicated a potential hardline approach to incarceration, suggesting the construction of mega-prisons to manage the security crisis.
Security measures dominated the inauguration proceedings, with soldiers and armoured vehicles lining the roads near the venue and police screening vehicles for explosives in the days leading up to the event. Following the ceremony, de la Espriella visited a nearby military battalion to address troops, a move framed as both a morale boost for the armed forces and a signal to the country’s armed groups of the administration’s uncompromising stance.
The new administration’s foreign policy represents a stark reversal from the previous government’s critical stance toward United States drug and immigration policies. De la Espriella pledged to join the US-backed "Shield of the Americas" coalition, a regional initiative against drug trafficking that emerged from a summit hosted by the Trump administration in March. He also announced plans to restore diplomatic relations with Israel and sever ties with Cuba and Nicaragua, describing the latter two nations as "tyrannies."
The transition of power follows a contentious election period. Outgoing President Petro initially alleged vote manipulation but ultimately conceded the result after international observers and Colombia’s electoral authorities dismissed his claims. Despite the concession, protests erupted in Cali, Bogota, and Barranquilla on inauguration day. In Cali’s Puerto Resistencia neighbourhood, residents demonstrated against the new leadership, with one protester stating they were "defending dignity" against a president he claimed lacked their support.
De la Espriella’s victory extends a broader trend of conservative electoral successes across Latin America, with seven right-wing leaders elected since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. His campaign, which was self-financed through profits from his law firm and business ventures, received personal endorsement from President Trump. The inauguration was attended by several international figures, including Spain’s King Felipe VI, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, and regional leaders such as Argentina’s Javier Milei and Chile’s Jose Antonio Kast.
