Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in on Friday as Colombia’s new president during a ceremony held at the USC Arena of Santiago de Cali University, breaking with the tradition of holding the inauguration in Bogotá.
The footage shows the founder of the Defenders of the Homeland movement receiving the presidential sash from the President of the Senate, Honorio Henríquez.
King Felipe VI of Spain and several Latin American leaders attended the ceremony, among them Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, as well as FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
The 48-year-old lawyer and businessman came to power after one of the closest presidential contests in the country’s recent history. In the run-off, held on 21 June, he won 49.78% of the vote, against the 48.70% obtained by Senator Iván Cepeda, the candidate of the Historic Pact and the Alliance for Life coalition.
Inauguration day was marked by a major security deployment. More than 11,000 members of the Armed Forces and the Police were mobilised in Cali.
The operation included checkpoints, access controls, aerial surveillance, anti-explosives teams and mobility restrictions to ensure the safety of international delegations and attendees at the ceremony.
While the official events were taking place, supporters of outgoing president Gustavo Petro, leaders of the Historic Pact and sectors aligned with former candidate Iván Cepeda held peaceful demonstrations in Cali, Bogotá and Barranquilla.
Participants rejected De la Espriella’s rise to power, announced the start of political opposition and questioned the country’s new course on foreign and security policy.
During the gatherings, leaders of the Historic Pact said they would defend the social reforms promoted by Petro’s government. They also criticised the new administration’s decision to restore diplomatic relations with Israel and warned of what they described as Colombia’s “isolation” from countries in the Caribbean and Africa.
Source: Viory
