Abelardo de la Espriella will take office as Colombia's new president Friday. Photo by Mauricio Dueñas Castañeda/EPA
Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Abelardo de la Espriella officially takes office as Colombia's president Friday, beginning a term marked by a sharp shift to the far right following the administration of leftist Gustavo Petro and a pledge to fight organized crime with an "iron fist."
Breaking with the tradition of holding the inauguration at Congress in Bogotá and amid an unprecedented deployment of 11,000 security personnel, De la Espriella will be sworn in at the arena of Santiago de Cali University.
The decision is intended to send a political message about governing from the regions and closer to areas heavily affected by the country's armed conflict.
The leader of the Defenders of the Homeland movement comes to power amid deep political polarization after defeating leftist Sen. Iván Cepeda in a runoff election by just 250,000 votes out of more than 26 million cast.
