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Abelardo de la Espriella's presidential investiture ceremony begins in Colombia
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Elections & Politics

Abelardo de la Espriella's presidential investiture ceremony begins in Colombia

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Abelardo de la Espriella, an ultraright-wing lawyer, began his presidential investiture ceremony in Cali, Colombia, for the 2026-2030 term.
  • The ceremony was attended by a majority of Congress, national authorities, and heads of state from several countries, including Spain's King Felipe VI.
  • Notably absent were legislators from the Pacto Histórico party, who consider De la Espriella's election illegitimate and allege fraud.

The investiture ceremony for Abelardo de la Espriella, an ultraright-wing lawyer, as Colombia's president for the 2026-2030 term commenced Friday in Cali. The event, held at the University Santiago de Cali, saw the presence of a significant portion of Congress, national officials, and international dignitaries.

Among the notable attendees were former Colombian presidents César Gaviria, Andrés Pastrana, Álvaro Uribe, and Iván Duque. International leaders present included King Felipe VI of Spain, Argentine President Javier Milei, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Dominican President Luis Abinader, Chilean President José Antonio Kast, and Honduran President Nasry Asfura. Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, was also in attendance.

The ceremony, decorated with Colombian flowers and featuring large screens displaying 'Welcome to the Miracle Homeland,' experienced a delay as the president-elect and his wife, Ana Lucía Pineda, had not yet arrived over half an hour after the scheduled start.

A significant political statement was made by the absence of legislators from the Pacto Histórico, the party of outgoing President Gustavo Petro. This bloc considers De la Espriella's election illegitimate, citing alleged fraud and refusing to recognize his victory. Former presidents Ernesto Samper and Juan Manuel Santos were not invited to the event.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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