De la Espriella Wants Barranquilla to Become Colombia’s ‘Alternate Capital’

Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced that he will push a legislative act proposal before Congress to amend the Constitution and recognize Barranquilla as the country’s “alternate capital,” an initiative aimed at providing institutional backing for his promise to govern from the regions during his term.

The proposal represents a new step in the president-elect’s strategy to reduce what he has described as Bogotá’s centralism and to move part of government activity toward other territories. According to De la Espriella, the constitutional amendment would allow the formalization of a more decentralized vision of the State, with a greater presence of the national government outside the country’s capital.

In addition, Eduardo Verano, governor of the Atlántico region —whose capital is Barranquilla— announced that he will designate the headquarters of the Army’s Second Brigade, located in the northern part of the city, as the government’s headquarters, ensuring that modernization works will be completed by August 7, the date of the presidential inauguration.

De la Espriella wants Barranquilla to become Colombia’s ‘alternate capital’

The announcement was made during regional transition activities of the incoming government, in which De la Espriella reiterated that his administration will be centered on a closer relationship with the regions.

The president-elect stated that Barranquilla, a city with which he has maintained a close political relationship during his campaign, should assume a more relevant institutional role within the structure of the State.

“Forgetfulness is over, neglect is over, centralist abandonment is over. A son of this land will sit in Bolivar’s seat in a few days,” De la Espriella said, while criticizing what he called “Bogota-centrism,” which he argued concentrates political power exclusively in the country’s capital.

The initiative by the incoming president would require a legislative act because Colombia’s Constitution establishes Bogota as the Capital District and the main seat of the branches of government. For that reason, the recognition of Barranquilla as an alternate capital would have to be approved through the constitutional reform process in Congress.

De la Espriella has presented the idea as a way to overcome “centralist abandonment” and bring national decisions to other parts of the country. The proposal is connected to one of the central messages of his campaign: that the government should not operate exclusively from Bogota, but instead maintain a permanent presence in the regions.

¡Se acabó el abandono centralista! En pocos días, un hijo del Caribe se sentará en el solio de Bolívar.

Gobernaré desde las regiones. Por eso, uno de mis proyectos legislativos será convertir a Barranquilla en la capital alterna de Colombia.

¡Firme por la Patria!

(A.D.L.E)… pic.twitter.com/t3SYIaKbqi

— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) July 22, 2026

Barranquilla as a symbol of the new government model

The choice of Barranquilla as an alternate capital also carries political and symbolic weight. The city, the main economic hub of the Caribbean region, has been presented by the president-elect —who made the city his stronghold during the recent electoral campaign— as an example of the potential of Colombia’s regions to lead national processes.

The proposal seeks to allow the city to become an additional venue for official government activities, although details are still unknown regarding the practical scope of the designation or the specific functions an alternate capital would have. The project will need to define issues related to institutional presence, the location of public agencies, and the administrative mechanisms resulting from the reform.

The announcement comes amid a series of decisions through which De la Espriella seeks to distance himself from the traditional model of presidential administration based in Bogota. Days earlier, the Senate approved that his inauguration ceremony on August 7 be held in the department of Cauca, instead of at the Congress, a decision that is part of his intention to take government events to different regions.

For the proposal to become a reality, it will need to overcome legislative debate and secure the necessary majorities to amend the Constitution. Although the incoming government has managed to build significant political support in Congress, approving a constitutional reform requires multiple debates and agreements among different sectors.

In this regard, the legislative act promoted by the incoming president will have to pass eight debates in Congress —two rounds in both the Senate and the House of Representatives—, twice the four debates required for an ordinary law, meaning the process could take considerable time.

What is clear is that the project opens a discussion about Colombia’s territorial model —a debate that has been developing for years— and the balance between Bogota and the country’s other regions. Supporters consider it a potential tool to strengthen decentralization and bring the State closer to communities, while critics may question the administrative costs and the need to change the Constitution to achieve that goal.