The 48-year-old won June’s runoff on promises to crack down on armed groups, shrink the state by up to 40 percent and revive the oil and gas sector.
An ally of US President Donald Trump, he represented people with ties to right-wing paramilitaries during his time as a lawyer. De La Espriella has never before held elected office.
“I have come to close a long chapter of national resignation and, together with the people, embark on the most profound transformation of our destiny,” De La Espriella said on Friday at the Pichincha Battalion military base in Cali, after being sworn in at a nearby university auditorium with dignitaries and officials.
“I send a firm message to the Colombian people: the time has come to restore order, authority and freedom.”
“Members of criminal gangs and narco-terrorist groups have two choices: submit to the rule of law or face the determined response of the Colombian state and its security forces,”he told assembled troops at the base during a 75-minute speech, adding the option of peace talks with armed groups had been “completely exhausted”.
De La Espriella’s election was part of a rightward shift rippling across Latin America. In Peru, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and Panama, weak economies and rising crime have reshaped voter priorities, allowing once-fringe hard-right candidates to gain traction by promising crackdowns amid a global rise of right-wing nationalism.
De La Espriella could push through some of his policies via decree, but analysts say many of his proposals will require backing from a divided congress and could be watered down in negotiations.
The new president vowed to “definitively eradicate the scourge of illicit crops”, saying he would use aerial herbicides that do not harm human health or the environment to destroy coca, the plant used to make cocaine.
In one of his first acts as president, Colombia will join the Shield of the Americas programme founded by Trump, he said.
The US State Department said on Friday that the Trump administration plans to provide US$1 billion in security assistance
He pledged to freeze public spending and pursue tax reform to simplify the country’s payment regime and boost investment and employment, while preserving popular social programmes, some put in place by his predecessor, leftist Gustavo Petro.
“I want to tell Colombia’s business leaders – large, medium-sized and small – that this government will be your partner in investing in Colombia. Once again, it will be a safe and profitable decision for you,” De La Espriella said.
He pledged to expand oil and gas exploration, including through “the development of responsible and sustainable fracking”. (Reuters)
