Colombia's New President Sworn In Amid Heavy Security in Cali

Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia's president on Friday in a ceremony held in Cali, a city in the country's volatile southwest. The decision to hold the inauguration outside the capital, Bogotá, was a deliberate signal of his hard-line approach to illegal armed groups operating in the region.

The 48-year-old conservative, who has never held public office, won a close runoff election on June 21 against Senator Iván Cepeda, an ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro. De la Espriella, a lawyer and businessman who financed his own campaign, ran as an outsider.

The ceremony took place at a university auditorium before Congress. Among the international dignitaries present were King Felipe VI of Spain, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, and several Latin American leaders, including Argentina's Javier Milei, Ecuador's Daniel Noboa, and Chile's José Antonio Kast.

After the formal swearing-in, de la Espriella traveled to a military battalion in Cali to address troops. He has pledged to boost morale and issued a stark warning to illegal armed groups: surrender or face being declared "military targets."

De la Espriella, who calls himself "El Tigre" (The Tiger), has vowed to break with Petro's policy of negotiating with armed groups, arguing that the peace process has failed. His inauguration marks a further shift to the right in the region.