Citing Thomas Jefferson, Conservative Abelardo de la Espriella Becomes President of Colombia

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Colombia’s conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella took office as the nation’s new head of state for the next four years on Friday afternoon.

The presidential inauguration, hosted by the city of Cali for the first time in the country’s history, occurred under the watch of a highly reinforced security operation amid a string of terrorist threats and a thwarted attack with explosives this week. Abelardo de la Espriella succeeded former President Gustavo Petro, a former member of the Marxist M19 terrorist group and Colombia’s first and so far only leftist president ever.

President de la Espriella, a 48-year-old lawyer nicknamed “The Tiger” and highly supportive of President Donald Trump and the United States, became the next Colombian head of state after defeating far-left Sen. Iván Cepeda in the June 21 presidential runoff election. He ran successfully on a campaign focused on the fight against organized crime and terrorist organizations, eradicating corruption, and restoring the country’s economy and security.

De la Espriella and his Vice President José Manuel Restrepo will lead Colombia for a four-year term through August 7, 2030.

Although all previous Colombian presidents for over 200 years have been inaugurated in the capital city of Bogotá, President de la Espriella chose the city of Cali to be the host of his inauguration ceremony. De la Espriella was sworn in at around 4:30 p.m. local time, taking an oath and receiving the presidential sash from the head of the Colombian Senate, Honorio Miguel Henríquez Pineda. De la Espriella, now as president of Colombia, proceeded by swearing in Vice President Restrepo. The ceremony took place at the Arena USC amphitheater of the University of Cali.

De la Espriella delivered his first speech as president at the Cantón Pichincha, a military base in Cali. The new Colombian president prefaced his words by expressing his gratitude to the Colombian people and his family and thanking Jesus Christ for watching over the country and its people through its darkest periods. The conservative president affirmed that he has come to “close a long chapter of national resignation and to undertake, alongside the people, the most profound transformation of our destiny.” (Read more from “Citing Thomas Jefferson, Conservative Abelardo de la Espriella Becomes President of Colombia” HERE)