De la Espriella vows military-base inauguration as Petro bans barracks and refuses to concede

Colombia's presidential transition between outgoing left-wing head of state Gustavo Petro and the recently elected Abelardo de la Espriella veered into open confrontation this week over the August 7 inauguration venue, the legitimacy of the June 21 vote, and the architecture of the incoming administration.

Inauguration over Congress's objections

De la Espriella restated late Monday that he will take the oath at a military garrison in the south of the country to honour, in his words, "the heroes of the fatherland and the uniformed personnel who protect democracy, freedom and institutionality." The pledge directly opposes Petro's Sunday order that no military or police installation be used for the ceremony. Petro, who remains supreme commander of the armed forces until his successor swears the oath, wrote on social media that "the military and police barracks are under my orders until the moment the new president is sworn in" and insisted that "it is in a session of Congress where the new president must be inaugurated, just as I did and all the others did."

I assure you that my inauguration will be in the south of the country, will comply with the Constitution and the law, and will pay homage, as I promised, to the heroes of our fatherland.

The president-elect, who lacks his own majority in the legislature, directed "a direct and patriotic appeal to the new Congress of the Republic" that will be installed on July 20 to "take the correct decision to fulfil that mandate of the people." Constitutional experts cited by RFI consider the logistics of moving lawmakers to a remote military garrison for the swearing-in extremely complicated.

Petro refuses to concede

Petro has not acknowledged the election outcome, describing De la Espriella's government as one "not voted for by the majority of the people" and alleging, without providing evidence, an international plot involving the Israeli firm Black Cube. He has also questioned the transparency of Thomas Greg & Sons, the Colombian company that supplied technological logistics for the election. The far-right candidate won the second round on June 21 against left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda by a margin of 0.96% of the ballots.

While I am president I defend the laws and the constitution of a sovereign people.

Agencies closed before taking office

Beyond the venue battle, De la Espriella announced Monday the elimination of several presidential agencies once he takes office. The office of the Peace Commissioner, which has led negotiations with illegal armed groups, will be dissolved. "The Peace Commissioner is over, because there will be no more false peace processes in my government," he said in a broadcast on his social media channels. The Presidential Council for National Reconciliation and the Presidential Council for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law will also be scrapped, with their functions absorbed by the ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Defence. De la Espriella argued the move will prevent duplication and excessive costs.

A polarised 20 July milestone

Petro called on his supporters to mobilise on July 20, when the new Congress is seated. De la Espriella is betting that the legislature will endorse his garrison ceremony, while the outgoing president insists that the military must withhold any salute until a new commander-in-chief is sworn. "Let Abelardo not shake my hand – that is, more or less, a compliment – but I obey the laws of the 1991 constitution," Petro wrote.

The standoff leaves the country's institutional transition resting on a fraught congressional session and a president-elect determined to place the armed forces at the symbolic centre of his administration before his first day in office.