Abelardo de la Espriella has officially become Colombia's new president. He took charge on Friday, starting a right-wing government that plans to move away from the left-wing policies of former president Gustavo Petro. His term begins at a time when Colombia is facing money troubles and rising crime.

Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as new Colombian president

Colombia follows the 1991 Constitution, under which the president acts as both head of state and head of government. A presidential term runs for four years, and the president is chosen through a direct vote by the public.

The 2026 Colombian Election

De la Espriella won the second round of voting, held on 21 June 2026, by securing close to 1.3 crore votes, which came to about 49.66 per cent of the total.
His closest rival, Iván Cepeda from the Historic Pact party, was not far behind with 48.70 per cent of the vote, making it a tightly contested race.
With this win, De la Espriella takes over from outgoing president Gustavo Petro, who was Colombia's first left-wing head of state.

The Colombian President’s Swearing-in Ceremony

Breaking from tradition, the inauguration did not take place in Bogotá. Instead, it was held at the USC Arena, located at Santiago de Cali University in the city of Cali. Abelardo de la Espriella's inauguration as the 36th President of Colombia. The oath of office was administered by Honorio Henríquez, who holds the position of Senate President and Speaker of Congress. Following his own oath, De la Espriella swore in José Manuel Restrepo as the country's new vice president.

During his address, De la Espriella spoke about the failure of earlier peace efforts with armed criminal groups under the Petro government and said such organisations would now have to choose between following the law or facing firm government action.

About De la Espriella

De la Espriella is 48 years old and works as a lawyer. He takes over from Petro, who was Colombia's first left-wing president.
De la Espriella was born in Bogotá in 1978 to a wealthy family. He later moved to Córdoba as a baby and grew up in a well-off household that valued strong social and political connections.
Between 2001 and 2002, his father worked on Álvaro Uribe's local election campaign in Córdoba.
Uribe later became president, though his time in office faced criticism over harsh policies and crackdowns on opposition groups.
De la Espriella, who splits his time between Bogotá and Miami, built his career as a defence lawyer.
He represented several well-known clients, including a former government minister linked to a major political case, and a businessman accused of running a large money fraud scheme.
He now steps into the presidency with promises of a tougher stance on crime and a major shift in Colombia's political direction.