Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Colombia's new president pledges crime fight, fiscal austerity
Colombia has a brand-new president, and his name is Abelardo De La Espriella.
He just started his job on Friday after winning an election in June.
There are bad groups in Colombia that grow plants used to make illegal drugs.
The new president told them they must obey the law — or the police and army will come after them.
He said there will be no more peace talks with these groups; that time is over.
He wants airplanes to spray safe chemicals that destroy the drug plants without hurting people or nature.
He also wants the government to spend less money and make taxes simpler so businesses want to invest in Colombia.
The president says he will make the government smaller, but he promises to keep helpful programs for regular people.
He is friends with Donald Trump, the president of the United States, and Colombia will join a program Mr. Trump started called Shield of the Americas.
Many people are curious to see what this new president will do next.
Abelardo De La Espriella, 48 and with no prior elected office, was sworn in as Colombia's right-wing president on Friday in Cali, where he delivered a 75-minute inaugural speech at the Pichincha Battalion military base.
He pledged a vigorous fight against drug trafficking, warning that criminal gangs and narco-terrorist groups must submit to the rule of law 'or face the determined response of the Colombian state.'
He declared peace talks with armed groups 'completely exhausted' and vowed to eradicate illicit coca crops with aerial spraying of herbicides he says are safe for human health and the environment.
He promised to freeze public spending, pursue tax reform, shrink the state by as much as 40%, and revive the oil and gas sector while preserving popular social programs, some put in place by Petro.
In one of his first acts, Colombia will join the Shield of the Americas program founded by U.S. President Donald Trump, an ally of De La Espriella, who represented right-wing paramilitaries as a lawyer.
- Who
- Abelardo De La Espriella, the 48-year-old right-wing lawyer and first-time officeholder, sworn in as Colombia's new president.
- What
- Used his inaugural speech to pledge a vigorous fight against drug trafficking and crime, fiscal austerity, a smaller state, and revival of the oil and gas sector.
- When
- On Friday, August 7, after winning June's runoff election.
- Where
- At the Pichincha Battalion military base in Cali, Colombia, after being sworn in at a nearby university auditorium.
- Why
- To restore order, authority, and freedom and restore confidence in the economy, closing what he called a 'long chapter of national resignation.'
Advocates of negotiated peace and protected social programs
Backers of a military-first crackdown and a smaller state
Dealing with armed groups
Advocates of negotiated peace and protected social programs
Armed groups should be engaged through peace talks, an option the previous administration pursued before De La Espriella declared it 'completely exhausted.'
Backers of a military-first crackdown and a smaller state
Criminal gangs and narco-terrorist groups must submit to the rule of law or face the determined response of the Colombian state and its security forces.
State spending and social programs
Advocates of negotiated peace and protected social programs
Popular social programs, some put in place by the previous Petro government, should remain in place and stay protected.
Backers of a military-first crackdown and a smaller state
The state should shrink by as much as 40%, public spending should be frozen, and taxes simplified to boost investment and employment.
- New President
- Abelardo De La Espriella
- Age
- 48
- Political Stance
- Right-wing; ally of U.S. President Donald Trump
- Sworn In
- Friday, August 7, after winning June's runoff
- Venue
- Pichincha Battalion military base, Cali, Colombia
- Key Pledges
- Fight drug trafficking, freeze public spending, tax reform, shrink state by up to 40%, revive oil and gas sector
- Drug Policy
- Aerial spraying of safe herbicides to eradicate coca; peace talks declared 'completely exhausted'
- First Act
- Colombia to join the Shield of the Americas program