Now Reading: Colombia president vows drug war, austerity in maiden speech
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Colombia president vows drug war, austerity in maiden speech
Colombia’s new right-wing President Abelardo De La Espriella was sworn in on Friday, vowing a vigorous fight against drug trafficking and austerity to restore economic confidence. In a 75-minute speech at a…
The Story in Brief
Colombia’s new right-wing President Abelardo De La Espriella was sworn in on Friday, vowing a vigorous fight against drug trafficking and austerity to restore economic confidence. In a 75-minute speech at a military base in Cali, he told criminal gangs to “submit to the rule of law or face the determined response of the Colombian state”, declaring peace talks exhausted. The 48-year-old lawyer, who has never held elected office, won June’s runoff on promises to shrink the state by 40%, revive oil and gas, and join Donald Trump’s Shield of the Americas programme.
De La Espriella pledged to freeze public spending, simplify taxes, and expand fracking, while keeping popular social programmes. Investors welcomed his market-friendly agenda, but analysts warn fiscal constraints and a divided congress could water down proposals. His predecessor Gustavo Petro has not recognised the victory. The swearing-in, held outside Bogota for the first time in modern history, was attended by regional leaders and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.
The Indian Opinion
News outlets frame Abelardo De La Espriella as a simple hard-right ideologue, but his inaugural speech mixed Trump-aligned law-and-order bluster with practical pledges to keep social programmes left by Gustavo Petro. The real test is not his rhetoric but Colombia’s divided congress and fiscal straitjacket. Can a president who has never held elected office push through 40% state cuts and fracking while preserving popular schemes? Watch the first 100 days: if his decrees focus on security workarounds and tax simplification stalls, the ‘profound transformation’ will remain a speech.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
