De la Espriella desists from holding swearing-in ceremony at military base

President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella has reportedly abandoned plans to be sworn in at a military base, opting instead to request that Congress permit the inauguration to be held in Cali, Colombia's third largest city. In a nationwide address, De la Espriella explained that volcanic activity had made travel to the capital of Cauca, Popayan, impractical for a secure and well-organized ceremony.

He asked the House of Representatives to convene on August 7 in Cali for the swearing-in. De la Espriella further specified that the government's first security council would be held at Marco Fidel Suarez airbase in Cali. The university theater in Santiago de Cali University was reportedly to be utilized for the inauguration, according to the university president, Carlos Andres Perez.

Post-inauguration, De la Espriella will proceed to the Pichincha Military Canton to assume the role of supreme commander of the armed forces. This change in plans was prompted by discord with outgoing President Gustavo Petro, who had instructed the military not to cooperate with the new administration. The Democratic Center, the largest political party in De la Espriella's far-right congressional coalition, also opposed a military inauguration, arguing that the armed forces are under civilian control per the Colombian constitution. De la Espriella hoped the ceremony would underscore his support for Colombia's "heroes".