Latest News

De la Espriella to Take Office in Cali in Unprecedented Presidential Investiture

By The City Paper Staff - August 7, 2026

Abelardo de la Espriella will be sworn in as Colombia’s president on Friday, August 7, in an unprecedented inauguration ceremony held outside the capital Bogotá, with the formal transfer of power taking place at the Arena of the Universidad Santiago de Cali (USC) before the new president delivers his first address to the nation from […]

Rubio expected to lead U.S. delegation to presidential inauguration in Cali

By The City Paper Staff - July 30, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to attend the inauguration of Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo De La Espriella on August 7, a ceremony that will make history as the country’s first presidential transfer of power to be held outside Bogotá. The inauguration will take place at 3:00 p.m. at the Arena USC on the […]

Colombia’s De la Espriella to Close 14 Embassies, Cut Ties With Cuba and Nicaragua

By The City Paper Staff - July 27, 2026

Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo De la Espriella announced Sunday, a sweeping overhaul of the country’s diplomatic network, pledging to close 14 embassies and 15 consulates. He also pledged to sever diplomatic relations with Cuba and Nicaragua, and redirect budget cuts toward security and public investment after taking office on August 7. In a video message posted […]

Colombia Denies Entry to Nearly 19,000 Foreigners Since 2022

By The City Paper Staff - July 27, 2026

Colombia’s immigration authority has denied entry to nearly 19,000 foreign nationals since President Gustavo Petro took office in August 2022, citing national security concerns, immigration violations, fraudulent documentation and other legal grounds, according to figures released Monday by Migración Colombia. The government said 18,994 foreigners were refused entry between August 2022 and June 2026 under […]

Petro Uses Independence Day Address to Challenge Election Results

By Richard Emblin - July 21, 2026

Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro used his final Independence Day address to Congress on Monday to question the legitimacy of Colombia’s presidential election, accuse the United States of imposing the country’s next leader and urge supporters to prepare mass protests if the incoming government reverses his reforms. The speech, delivered less than three weeks before […]

New U.S.-Colombia chapter takes shape as Rubio meets Colombia’s vice president-elect

By The City Paper Staff - July 16, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Colombia’s Vice President-elect José Manuel Restrepo on Wednesday, signaling what both sides described as the beginning of a new phase in bilateral relations as President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella prepares to take office on Aug. 7. The closed-door meeting at the State Department brought together senior members of […]

Colombia’s President-Elect Breaks With Tradition, Plans Military Base Inauguration

By The City Paper Staff - July 14, 2026

In one of the most symbolic breaks with Colombia’s republican traditions in modern history, President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella announced Monday that he intends to be sworn into office on August 7 at a military garrison in southern Colombia rather than Bogotá’s iconic Plaza de Bolívar, where every democratically elected Colombian president in recent decades […]

Colombia Marks First Holiday Dedicated to Nation’s Patroness, the Virgin of Chiquinquirá

By Richard Emblin - July 11, 2026

On Monday, Colombians will celebrate a new national holiday for the first time in the country’s history, honoring Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, the patroness of Colombia, in a commemoration that blends centuries of religious tradition with a renewed political symbolism under President-elect Abelardo De la Espriella. Established under Law 2578 of 2026, […]

Colombia Resets Foreign Policy With Omar Bula as Incoming Foreign Minister

By Richard Emblin - July 9, 2026

Colombia is preparing for one of its most significant foreign policy realignments in more than two decades as President-elect Abelardo De La Espriella assembles a government that promises to restore close strategic relations with the United States and other Western democracies, while distancing the country from the ideological alliances that defined the presidency of Gustavo […]

Colombia’s President-Elect Urges International Oversight for Democratic Transition

By The City Paper Staff - July 8, 2026

Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, has appealed to the international community to closely monitor the country’s democratic transition, as outgoing President Gustavo Petro and opposition leader Iván Cepeda attempt to undermine the August 7 transfer of power. In a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, the criminal defense lawyer said he had […]

Colombia’s Mayors back De la Espriella’s anti-crime crackdown

By The City Paper Staff - July 6, 2026

Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella said he will sign a decree on Aug. 7, the day he is sworn into office, creating special “Urban Security Defense Blocs” in the country’s largest cities as part of a sweeping security crackdown and a broader shift away from the outgoing government’s security strategy. De la Espriella, who […]

Colombia’s VP-elect rejects Cepeda’s call for “Civil Disobedience” as tantrum

By The City Paper Staff - July 2, 2026

Colombia’s Vice President-elect José Manuel Restrepo on Wednesday condemned opposition senator Iván Cepeda for calling on supporters to engage in “peaceful civil disobedience” unless President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella renounces his U.S. citizenship before taking office, describing the move as “an anti-democratic tantrum” and an attack on the country’s democratic institutions. The confrontation marks a […]

De la Espriella gives Colombia’s armed groups one month to surrender

By The City Paper Staff - June 25, 2026

Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella on Thursday gave the country’s illegal armed groups one month to submit to justice, pledging to abandon the broad negotiations pursued by the outgoing administration and instead adopt a hardline security strategy aimed at dismantling criminal organizations. Speaking after receiving his official credentials from the National Election Council (CNE) […]

Iván Cepeda concedes election defeat, Petro begins transition to De la Espriella government

By The City Paper Staff - June 24, 2026

Colombian leftist senator Iván Cepeda formally conceded defeat on Wednesday, acknowledging conservative lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella as the country’s president-elect after electoral authorities confirmed that the official vote count closely matched the preliminary tally. The concession, coupled with outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s announcement that he would begin the formal transition of power, marked a […]

Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella Pledges a ‘Miracle Nation’

By María Claudia Peña - June 23, 2026

Standing behind a bulletproof screen beneath Barranquilla’s towering Ventana al Mundo monument, President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella delivered a triumphant yet carefully choreographed victory speech Sunday night, promising to restore security, revive confidence in Colombia’s democratic institutions and govern for all Colombians after one of the closest presidential elections in the country’s modern history. Addressing […]

Colombia’s ‘Tiger’ victory reverberates with world leaders

By Richard Emblin - June 22, 2026

Congratulations poured in from world leaders on Sunday evening after conservative president-elect Abelardo “El Tigre” de la Espriella secured a razor-thin victory in Colombia’s presidential runoff, with messages from Washington to Jerusalem signaling expectations of a significant realignment in the country’s foreign and economic policies. The strongest endorsements came from the United States, where President […]