Abelardo De La Espriella's inauguration in Cali draws global leaders and sparks opposition protests

Colombia's president‑elect Abelardo De La Espriella will be sworn in on 7 August at the Arena USC of the Universidad Santiago de Cali, marking the first Colombian inauguration held outside Bogotá. The ceremony will be attended by a host of foreign dignitaries, including Spain’s King Felipe VI, the presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Costa Rica and Honduras, as well as FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

De La Espriella has excluded former presidents Juan Manuel Santos and Ernesto Samper from the guest list, while inviting Álvaro Uribe, Iván Duque, Andrés Pastrana and César Gaviria. Opposition leader Senator Iván Cepeda announced that the left‑wing Pacto Histórico will hold three peaceful civil‑disobedience concentrations on the same day in Bogotá, Cali and Barranquilla, describing them as non‑violent and organized.

The president‑elect warned that these actions aim to destabilise the country and pledged to defend the constitution and the will of the Colombian people.