Abelardo de la Espriella assumes the presidency of Colombia for the 2026-2030 period

Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer, has officially taken office as the president of Colombia for the 2026-2030 term. The inauguration ceremony was held on Friday at a university auditorium in Cali, the capital of the Valle del Cauca department.

During the ceremony, De la Espriella took the oath of office, pledging to faithfully uphold the Constitution and laws of Colombia. The oath was administered by the President of Congress, Honorio Henríquez, who then presented him with the presidential sash. Simultaneously, 21-gun salutes in the colors of the Colombian flag were fired from the José María Córdova Military Cadet School in Bogotá.

De la Espriella was joined by his family and received applause from the attendees at the Arena USC of the Universidad Santiago de Cali. He subsequently administered the oath to his vice president, José Manuel Restrepo, who was accompanied by 74-year-old farmer Luis Felipe Yagüé, an invited guest of honor symbolizing support for small businesses and Colombian entrepreneurs.

The newly inaugurated president arrived with his wife, Ana Lucía Pineda, and their four minor children. Over a thousand national and international guests, including King Felipe VI of Spain and the presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Chile, and Honduras, were present. Former Colombian presidents César Gaviria, Andrés Pastrana, Álvaro Uribe, and Iván Duque also attended, though Ernesto Samper and Juan Manuel Santos were not invited.

Following the ceremony, De la Espriella is scheduled to deliver his first presidential address to the nation's military leaders at the Pichincha Military Canton.