President Abelardo de la Espriella Appoints Alejandro Ordóñez as Ambassador to the OAS

President Abelardo de la Espriella has officially appointed former Attorney General Alejandro Ordóñez as Colombia's ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) via Decree 1365 on September 4. This marks the third diplomatic appointment by the current administration, following the nominations of María Consuelo Araújo as ambassador to the United States and Mauricio Gaona as head of the mission to the United Nations. Ordóñez previously served in the OAS role from 2018 to 2022 under the administration of Iván Duque.

Ordóñez has a long career in Colombian public service, having served as a councilman in Bucaramanga, a magistrate, and president of the Council of State. He served as the Attorney General of the Nation between 2009 and 2016. His tenure in that role was marked by high profile disciplinary actions, including the 15 year removal of then Bogotá Mayor Gustavo Petro. However, the Council of State later annulled Ordóñez's re-election to the Attorney General position due to irregularities in the selection process.

Ordóñez is widely recognized for his conservative views and his leadership of the No campaign during the 2016 peace plebiscite with the FARC. Carlos Suárez, a strategist for President de la Espriella, praised the appointment on social media by describing Ordóñez as a brave and transparent defender of the homeland. Center leaning coverage highlighted Ordóñez's history of religious conservatism and his legal battles over abortion and same sex couples. Center left coverage framed him as a prominent voice of the right wing, while center right coverage focused on his professional credentials and his previous leadership on regional democracy and human rights during his first term at the OAS.