De la Espriella sworn in in Cali, vows tough anti-crime crackdown

Abelardo de la Espriella took the oath of office in Cali on Friday, breaking with Colombia’s tradition of inaugurating presidents in Bogotá and turning the ceremony into a public warning to armed groups and criminal networks. The choice of venue, in one of the country’s most contested regions, made security the central message of his new presidency.

The inauguration unfolded under heavy security, with soldiers and police checkpoints reported across Cali and the wider Valle del Cauca area in the days before the event. Colombian officials had warned of a terrorism threat ahead of the ceremony, underscoring the risks in a city that has faced guerrilla activity, extortion and cocaine-linked criminal economies. Guests at the event included the presidents of Argentina, Paraguay, Chile and Ecuador, along with Spain’s King Felipe VI.

De la Espriella, 48, is a millionaire lawyer, a U.S. citizen and an ally of Donald Trump. He won Colombia’s June runoff by a margin described as less than a percentage point after campaigning on a hard-line security platform that centered on intensifying military action against armed groups rather than pursuing peace talks. His victory ended Gustavo Petro’s term and closed Colombia’s first leftist government.

The new president has also promised a broader economic reset. He has said he wants to shrink the state by as much as 40% and revive oil and gas production, part of a program that combines austerity with a pledge to restore deterrence against crime. Supporters cast him as a leader who can reassert state authority and rebuild investor confidence; critics see the risk of a deeper political divide if his crackdown hardens into a wider confrontation with dissent.

That tension helped define the symbolism of the Cali ceremony. ACLED said the inauguration would test how the new administration handles protests and opposition, and warned that a crackdown could escalate street tensions. The stakes extend beyond domestic politics: a Reuters report said the United States planned $1 billion in security assistance for Colombia’s new government, a sign that cooperation with Washington could become an early marker of de la Espriella’s approach to public safety and regional security.