Abelardo De La Espriella Inaugurated as President of Colombia

Abelardo De La Espriella has been sworn in as the President of Colombia in a series of events held in Cali. During the proceedings, De La Espriella formalized the appointment of his cabinet to implement his government program, which he calls Patria Milagro. The new cabinet includes Tomás Ponce as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Bolaño in Finance, Miguel Gómez in Defense, and Alfonso Cárdenas in Justice, among others. The president also appointed María Fernanda Sandoval as the Director of Communications and Press.

The inauguration featured a ceremony at the Arena of the Universidad Santiago de Cali, attended by foreign leaders aligned with the new right, former Colombian presidents including Álvaro Uribe, and the president of FIFA. While the formal event took place at the university, De La Espriella delivered his first presidential speech to troops at the Pichincha military canton. This move followed a refusal by Petro to authorize the use of the garrison for the official swearing in.

Coverage of the event varied based on political perspective. Center leaning reports focused on the theatrical nature of the event and the treatment of the press, noting that journalists were greeted with a pre recorded video and faced restrictive access to the venues. In contrast, center right reporting framed the event as the formal start of a management stage, emphasizing the immediate need for the cabinet to produce concrete results for the population.