Colombia’s president-elect De la Espriella issues 1-month ultimatum to armed groups

Laura Gamba

Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella issued a one-month ultimatum to the nation’s illegal armed groups on Thursday, declaring that all ongoing peace negotiations initiated under outgoing President Gustavo Petro are officially dead.

The hardline announcement came in Bogota during a high-profile ceremony where the National Electoral Council (CNE) formally presented De la Espriella and his vice-presidential running mate, Jose Manuel Restrepo, with their official credentials of election. The flamboyant criminal defense attorney secured the presidency following a razor-thin runoff victory, winning by a margin of less than 1%.

Signaling a profound shift toward an iron-fist security paradigm, the president-elect delivered a stark warning to the cartels, dissident guerrillas, and paramilitary factions currently operating across the country.

“To those who operate outside the law, a clear message: you have one month to come to your senses and submit to the rule of law,” De la Espriella declared. “In my administration, there will be no generous offers or unacceptable concessions.”

While the incoming leader did not specify the tactical details of the military and police strategies to be deployed once he takes office on Aug. 7, his rhetoric left no room for the concessions that characterized Petro’s “Total Peace” agenda.

“The days of turning a blind eye to crime, corruption, terrorism, drug trafficking, extortion, and other forms of violence are over,” he warned. “They will face the full might of the state and the unwavering determination of our glorious Colombian law enforcement agencies.”

Throughout his address, De la Espriella alternated between highly confrontational messages aimed at his political adversaries and sweeping rhetorical calls for national reconciliation.

He heavily criticized President Petro, labeling his administration a “communist regime,” and vowed to launch immediate legal and financial investigations to expose what he characterized as a systemic raiding of the public treasury.

“We will begin by conducting an exhaustive audit, an anti-corruption transition process that will allow us to execute a rigorous cut-off of accounts and determine the true magnitude of the looting and institutional decay we are inheriting,” he said.

At the same time, he made a direct appeal to the public to move past the bitter polarization that has paralyzed Colombian politics in recent years.

“Let us leave divisions behind, restore trust in our institutions, and once again feel proud of our flag, our history, and of that shared future—that common destiny—that we can build together.”

De la Espriella explicitly sought to ease fears that his administration would persecute political opponents, promising that dissent would be protected under his watch, provided it remains within legal boundaries.

“There will be full and absolute guarantees for those who legitimately exercise opposition within the framework of the Constitution and the law.”