Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, plans to hold his inauguration ceremony in the western city of Cali on August 7, reversing plans to be sworn in in the Cauca department.
De la Espriella’s team informed media outlets today that they plan to host the inauguration at a stadium in Cali, abandoning the candidate’s suggestion to hold it at a military base in Cauca.
Cali is Colombia’s third-most populous city and a heartland for the leftist Historic Pact party, which has said it will not attend the ceremony, instead announcing protests in Cali.
For de la Espriella, holding the ceremony in Cali represents his agenda of devolving power to regions beyond the capital, Bogotá. It is also symbolic of his pledge to tackle violence related to the armed conflict, with Cali suffering from multiple deadly terrorist attacks by rebel groups over the past year.
The Senate’s had last week greenlit the candidate’s proposal for Congress to relocate to Cauca to swear him in – an unprecedented move in modern Colombian history, in which presidents have exclusively been inaugurated in Bogotá.
But de la Espriella backed down from that proposal citing volcanic activity forcing the closure of the main airport in Cauca. Other reports suggest that Cali had always been a back-up plan due to security fears in the department, which is a guerrilla stronghold.
Now, the president-elect must push through resolutions in the Senate and Chamber of Representatives permitting the relocation of Congress to Cali to swear him in.
The plans to transport as many as 261 members of congress has drawn criticism from opposition parties, who say the operation could cost as much as US$1.8 million.
“Today we are asking the Congress of the Republic to POSTPONE the debate on Abelardo’s inauguration in Cali until we have the financial information regarding this decision. We cannot be irresponsible and commit public funds without clear information,” wrote Historic Pact Senator Sandra Chindoy on X today.
Hoy le solicitamos al Congreso de la República APLAZAR el debate sobre la posesión de Abelardo en Cali hasta que tengamos la información financiera de esta decisión. No podemos ser irresponsables y comprometer los recursos públicos sin tener información clara. pic.twitter.com/hZSOs3ykPp— Sandra Chindoy (@sandra_chindoy) July 28, 2026
Meanwhile, several members of the Historic Pact party, including outgoing President Gustavo Petro and de la Espriella’s electoral rival, Iván Cepeda, have said they will not attend the ceremony.
Others have suggested they will organize peaceful demonstrations in multiple cities, including Cali, to coincide with the inauguration.
In the June 21 run-off race, Cali voted overwhelmingly in favor of Cepeda, who swept the Valle de Cauca province with over 60% of votes. There were a handful of protests in the city following de la Espriella’s victory.
According to a provisional agenda circulated by Abelardo’s team, the inauguration ceremony is scheduled to be held at 10AM on August 7 at the USC Arena, part of the Santiago de Cali University. The stadium is located in the southwest of the city and has a capacity of 2,200.
The swearing in will then be followed by a visit to a nearby military barracks, where the new president will hold a “Greeting of the troops”.
Authorities in Cali have announced boosted security ahead of the planned inauguration.
“Securing access points to Cali and surrounding cities, banning drone flights, and strengthening the presence of law enforcement along Valle del Cauca’s road corridors are among the measures that will be implemented,” read a statement by the provincial government.
