A giant screen displays Colombian president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella delivering a message to the press via Zoom ahead of his inauguration at Arena USC in Cali, Colombia, on Aug. 6. AFP-Yonhap
BOGOTA, Colombia — Conservative Abelardo de la Espriella will be sworn in as Colombia’s president Friday under heavy security in Cali, a city in the country’s volatile southwest, breaking with the tradition of holding the ceremony in the capital, in a move meant to signal his hard-line approach to illegal armed groups
De la Espriella, 48, will succeed 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, to be held at a university auditorium before Congress, marks a further shift to the right in the region .
King Felipe VI of Spain and Latin American presidents including Argentina’s Javier Milei, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa and Chile’s José Antonio Kast are expected to attend.
