Far-right millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia's president

Inauguration in Cali

Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as president of Colombia on Friday, August 7, at a ceremony in Cali, in the country's southwest. The 48-year-old millionaire lawyer and political novice took the oath of office. Elected in June, de la Espriella replaces a left-wing predecessor whose peace negotiations with guerrilla groups he intends to abandon. His presidency tightens Colombia's links with Washington and ends the peace talks conducted by the previous government. The inauguration ceremony broke with tradition by taking place outside the capital.

I swear before God and promise the people to faithfully respect the Constitution and the laws of Colombia.

Religious fervour and secular concerns

Five days before the inauguration, on Sunday, August 2, de la Espriella held a spiritual retreat with members of his cabinet. Photographs released by his team showed him on his knees, rosary and Bible in hand. He told attendees that God must be placed at the center of every decision, a statement that has drawn concern in Colombia, a country officially secular since 1991 but where Catholicism remains deeply embedded in daily life.

We must put God at the center of every decision.

The religious exaltation follows de la Espriella's conversion to Christianity and appears tied to what he promised during the campaign as a "spiritual war" against his opponents. The publication of retreat photographs by his team, intended to display the future president's devotion, instead intensified the debate over the separation of church and state. The sight of the highest officials of the state, on the eve of their inauguration, invoking their god and claiming to place him above all else in their decisions, has added to the alarm in a country where the boundary between church and government has been constitutionally defined since 1991.

Allies and defenders

Federico Gutiérrez, the mayor of Medellín and a political ally of de la Espriella, pushed back against the criticism.

They want to make us believe that believing in God is a sin.

The mayor's defence came as de la Espriella's ultraconservative programme, developed with the help of Christian, evangelical, and fundamentalist circles, came under scrutiny. The programme and the religious framing of the new administration test the boundary between church and state in a country where the Catholic Church retains significant influence despite the 1991 constitutional reform that established Colombia as a secular nation.

A rightward turn

The new president's arrival in office confirms a broader rightward shift in Latin America. His alignment with Washington and his promise to combat guerrillas and drug trafficking depart from the peace-oriented approach of his predecessor. The new president has vowed to fight both guerrillas and narcotrafficking, tightening Colombia's links with Washington and bringing the country into the orbit of Donald Trump.