Abelardo de la Espriella took office as the President of Colombia on Friday, August 7, 2026, during an official ceremony held at the Arena of the Universidad Santiago de Cali in Cali, marking a break from the tradition of holding presidential inaugurations in Bogotá. The event began officially at 3:00 p.m. and included the constitutional protocols of the presidential oath, the imposition of the presidential sash, the swearing-in of the vice president, and the new head of state’s first official address, according to colombia.com.
Abelardo de la Espriella Inaugurated in Cali
Ahead of the event, the capital of Valle del Cauca carried out urban improvements to prepare for national and international visitors. To manage mobility during the inauguration, the local government implemented a citywide car-free and motorcycle-free day from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., alongside road closures around Universidad Santiago de Cali on Calle 5 between Carreras 56 and 66, as well as segments of Carreras 62 and 63 and Calle 3. Exemptions from the vehicle restrictions included official cars, authorized surveillance vehicles, delivery motorcycles, funeral processions, and media and organization transport, while the MIO mass transit system operated free of charge for the duration of the measures.
Public Security and Local Restrictions
Security measures accompanied the presidential transition across the country. In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder confirmed a dry law prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, which ran from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on August 7, according to elcolombiano.com. Similar restrictions on alcohol sales were adopted in other municipalities and cities, including Bucaramanga, Montería, Barrancabermeja, Popayán, and Ibagué, with varying schedules.
Authorities reported security concerns elsewhere in the country on the day of the inauguration. In Popayán, the National Police discovered a propane gas cylinder painted in national colors and suspected to contain explosives near a private school on the Variante Norte. Additional incidents included drone-dropped explosive attacks attributed to FARC dissidents against military bases in Tolima and Cauca, though officials reported no military personnel were injured in the base attacks. Despite these regional incidents, former Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the presidential inauguration itself proceeded with total tranquility and security, and noted that no violent events were recorded directly in Cali.
National Broadcast and Media Access
The inauguration was designated as an event of public interest by the Commission of Regulation of Communications (CRC) under Circular 180 of 2026. This classification prohibited any single operator from holding exclusive transmission rights, ensuring that the institutional signal was made available freely and openly to all interested open television channels, digital platforms, and media outlets, as detailed by colombia.com.
While RTVC had initially been considered to handle the broadcast, the incoming government ultimately assigned the technical production of the official signal to RCN Televisión, which shared the feed with other open television networks and digital outlets without requiring additional rights negotiations.
Worth a look
