10 Major Promises President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella Has Made to Colombia
Abelardo de la Espriella will take office with an ambitious agenda and promises built around security, economic growth, institutional reform, and a tougher approach to crime and corruption.
The president-elect presented a government program for 2026-2030 under the banner “Patria Milagro (Miracle Homeland),” outlining 13 major areas of action. Among them, 10 promises stand out because of their potential impact on Colombians’ daily lives and the country’s economic and political direction.
1. Launch a tougher security strategy
Security is at the center of De la Espriella’s agenda. He has promised to recover territorial control, strengthen the armed forces and police, dismantle illegal armed groups, and reinforce intelligence and criminal investigations.
His plan also calls for combating extortion at the neighborhood level and creating a “First Line of Security” or “Urban Security Squads” involving veterans and reservists.
2. Fight drug trafficking with aggressive eradication
The president-elect has pledged to eliminate 330,000 hectares of coca through a combination of aerial spraying, manual eradication, crop substitution, financial investigations, and extradition.
His strategy also includes targeting the assets and financial networks of drug traffickers and expanding the use of expedited asset forfeiture.
3. Put COP10 trillion into the health system
De la Espriella has promised an initial 10 trillion Colombian pesos for a health-sector rescue plan designed to restore the flow of resources and improve patients’ access to medicines and treatments.
The proposal includes reviewing payments to health insurers, strengthening hospitals and primary care, introducing more technology into the system, and establishing greater controls over administrative spending.
4. Create a presidential anti-corruption task force
Another major promise is the creation of a “Search Block Against Corruption” led directly by the president.
The initiative would combine financial intelligence, judicial police investigations, and asset forfeiture to pursue corrupt networks. De la Espriella has also proposed using blockchain for all public procurement processes by 2030, with the goal of making contracts more traceable and harder to manipulate.
5. Shrink the size of the Colombian state
De la Espriella has proposed an ambitious fiscal adjustment that could reduce the size of the state by as much as 40%.
His economic plan includes eliminating redundant agencies, reducing parallel government payrolls, restructuring subsidies, and strictly enforcing Colombia’s fiscal rule. He has also proposed simplifying the tax system and reducing what he describes as unnecessary bureaucratic burdens on businesses.
6. Cut taxes and regulations to boost investment
The president-elect has promised a major deregulation drive aimed at reducing paperwork, administrative barriers, and business costs.
His proposal includes a “one in, two out” approach, under which two existing regulatory burdens would be eliminated for every new one introduced during a specified period. The broader goal is to encourage private investment and push economic growth above 3%.
7. Expand oil and gas production
De la Espriella has promised to reverse the decline in fossil-fuel exploration and production, arguing that Colombia needs greater energy security.
His plan calls for recovering oil and gas exploration, accelerating offshore projects, and strengthening gas infrastructure, while maintaining Ecopetrol as a strategic national asset.
8. Transform education with technology
Education is another central component of the proposed administration. De la Espriella has promised short-cycle programs focused on artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, bilingualism, and other emerging fields.
His plan also proposes a virtual university at home, free computers and connectivity, teacher evaluations, and greater links between education and the labor market.
9. Make Colombia’s countryside more productive
The president-elect has pledged to place agriculture and rural development at the heart of his economic strategy.
His proposals include better rural roads, irrigation, connectivity, credit and technology, as well as expanded agricultural production. The plan targets 2 million new hectares between 2026 and 2030 and more than 600,000 rural jobs.
10. Help Colombians buy homes
One of De la Espriella’s most consumer-focused promises is his “Country of Owners” program, which seeks to make homeownership more accessible.
The proposal calls for mortgages with interest rates of 2% over 30 years, potentially giving more Colombian families access to long-term financing for a home.
A government built around measurable results
De la Espriella has repeatedly emphasized his intention to deliver results quickly. His government program establishes the first 100 days as an initial benchmark for demonstrating progress.
The scale of his promises means that implementation will depend heavily on congressional support, fiscal conditions, and the government’s ability to turn campaign proposals into legislation and public policy.
For Colombians, however, the priorities are already clear: Tougher security, a smaller state, stronger private investment, a health-system rescue, and a technology-driven economic agenda will define the opening chapter of the De la Espriella presidency.