Colombian President‑elect Abelardo de la Espriella faces legal probes, peace‑process backlash and plans to restore ties

Abelardo de la Espriella, Colombia’s president‑elect, is set to assume office on 7 August 2026. He announced he will eliminate the high‑commissioner for peace and dismantle the “perverse system of impunity” created after the 2016 peace accord. In response, the peace‑implementation unit’s director, Gloria Cuartas, filed a criminal complaint alleging aggravated harassment, injuring and incitement to crime against former FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño and other peace‑agreement signatories, arguing that De la Espriella’s public statements increase the risk of violence.

The United Nations has warned that the country is entering a “critical moment for the peace process” amid rising armed‑group activity and threats to former combatants. Domestically, De la Espriella’s proposed inauguration in a military base sparked a legal ruling that Congress can approve a venue change, and he faces a power struggle with the centre‑right Centro Democrático and former president Álvaro Uribe over the Senate presidency.

Internationally, De la Espriella’s incoming administration has agreed with Israel to fully restore diplomatic relations, move Colombia’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and withdraw support for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The agreement was sealed in Washington between Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar and Colombia’s future foreign minister Omar Bula Escobar. These moves have drawn sharp criticism from outgoing President Gustavo Petro, who called the actions a “complicity in genocide.”