Bottom Line Up Front
Today’s verdict: Colombia swears in a new president at 3 p.m. in Cali — the first handover held outside Bogotá — with the city under a car-free day and a daytime alcohol ban, and the day-one decrees include a foreign-service shake-up that could thin the consular network expats rely on.
The handover. Abelardo de la Espriella takes office at 3 p.m. at the Arena USC in Cali, alongside vice-president José Manuel Restrepo, after the courts declined to suspend the ceremony.
What to watch for foreigners. An austerity drive closes 14 named embassies and about 15 consulates; the embassies are known, the consulates and the timeline are not.
On the ground. Cali is car-free from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., alcohol sales stop from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Colombian markets and banks are shut for the Batalla de Boyacá holiday.
