De La Espriella to take office as Colombia president on pledges of security crackdown
De la Espriella will pledge a hard line on armed groups as 11,000 troops secure the ceremony, officials said.
- On Friday, Conservative Abelardo will be sworn in as Colombia's president in Cali, breaking with tradition to signal his hard-line approach toward illegal armed groups. He succeeds outgoing President Gustavo Petro after winning a close runoff election on June 21.
- Calling himself 'The Tiger,' the 48-year-old political outsider has pledged to tackle persistent violence by breaking with Petro's policy of negotiating with armed groups. He aims to boost service member morale while warning illegal groups they face being declared military targets.
- King Felipe of Spain and regional leaders from Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile are expected to attend the ceremony. Meanwhile, student organizations in Cali, where Petro has a large following, have called for protests during the inauguration.
- Espriella plans to unite Colombia with the 'Shield of the Americas,' a regional coalition to fight drug trafficking. He also intends to resume diplomatic relations with Israel while severing ties with Cuba and Nicaragua, which he characterizes as 'tyrannies.'
- Petro has urged supporters to organize 'people's militias' to defend against potential attacks from what he called 'fascists.' Researcher Andrés Macías warns that these calls, combined with Espriella's hard-line stance, increase the likelihood of confrontations during demonstrations.
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190 Articles
Conservative Abelardo De La Espriella Becomes Columbia’s New President
As explained by Breitbart News ‘The presidential inauguration, hosted by the city of Cali for the first time in the country’s history, occurred under the watch of a highly reinforced security operation amid a string of terrorist threats and a thwarted attack with explosives this week. Abelardo de la Espriella succeeded former President Gustavo Petro,...
Abelardo de la Espriella, Colombian president and flamboyant millionaire
CALI (Colombia), Aug 8 — With a lucrative legal career and a variety of colorful business projects under his belt, Colombia’s incoming President Abelardo de la Espriella now has grand plans to crush armed insurgents, cozy up to the United States and overhaul the system.The millionaire lawyer with a taste for spectacle took office yesterday after a campaign focused on anger and fears about security.Following a legal career that saw him represent …
Who is Colombia's self-proclaimed 'Tiger' president?
With a lucrative legal career and a variety of colourful business projects under his belt, Colombia's incoming President Abelardo de la Espriella now has grand plans to crush armed insurgents, cosy up to the United States and overhaul the system.
De la Espriella sworn in before Congress in Cali, delivers first speech to the military
Abelardo de la Espriella took office as president of Colombia in Cali on Friday, the first time a Colombian leader has been sworn in outside Bogotá, and delivered his first speech at an Army battalion rather than before Congress, breaking with the country's institutional tradition.
At his inauguration in Cali, the new President of Colombia, Esprella, stressed the beginning of an era of order, authority and freedom. He announced a tough fight against drug trafficking and the drug mafia.
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