Traditional right-wing technocrats and Christian voices will share Colombia's new cabinet

Colombia's newly elected President Abelardo de la Espriella has assembled a cabinet featuring a blend of traditional right-wing technocrats and Christian-aligned figures. The cabinet will be inaugurated on August 7 at the USC Arena of the University of Cali, outside the capital city, for the 2026-2030 term. The government's program is called "Patria Milagro."

Vice President-elect Jose Manuel Restrepo, an economist with experience as trade and finance minister under Iván Duque, heads the transition team working alongside outgoing government under President Gustavo Petro. De la Espriella, a criminal defense lawyer with no prior public office experience, secured victory on June 21st in an election campaign focused on breaking away from the political establishment.

Key appointments include Rodrigo Lara, a former Cambio Radical senator, as Interior Minister; Miguel Gomez as Finance Minister; and Iván Cancino as Justice Minister. Transportation will be led by Elsa Noguera, former mayor of Barranquilla and governor of Atlántico, who previously served as Housing Minister under Juan Manuel Santos. Defense will be overseen by retired Major General Jorge Eduardo Mora Lopez, while Health falls to Ana María Vesga, a lawyer with a fifteen-year background in the sector.

Notable for their differing profiles are the appointments for Culture, Foreign Ministry, Housing, and Education. Culture will be headed by Paola Holguín, a senator from the Democratic Center between 2014 and 2026. The foreign minister position goes to Omar Bula, a diplomat critical of the United Nations and climate change. Housing will be overseen by Jaime Andrés Beltrán, a pastor and former mayor of Bucaramanga.

Education will be led by Viviane Morales, a former senator and attorney general with public opposition to same-sex marriage, adoption by same-sex couples, euthanasia, and abortion.