De la Espriella’s Inauguration in Colombia Sparks Invite Controversy
The decision by President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella to exclude former Presidents Ernesto Samper and Juan Manuel Santos from the guest list for his inauguration ceremony has sparked a new political controversy in Colombia just days before the change of government.
The inauguration will take place this Friday, August 7, in Cali, in a historic ceremony as it will mark the first presidential transfer of power held outside Bogota. However, the debate has ultimately centered on who was invited and who was left off the guest list.
The absence of Samper and Santos has been interpreted by various sectors as a break with an institutional tradition that for decades saw incoming presidents invite all former heads of state, regardless of their political differences.
In contrast, former President Alvaro Uribe did receive an invitation, as did Ivan Duque, Andres Pastrana, and Cesar Gaviria—all of whom are politically aligned with De la Espriella’s views—a decision that reflects the new administration’s political alliances and divisions.
De la Espriella’s inauguration in Colombia sparks invite controversy
Sources close to the incoming administration confirmed that Abelardo de la Espriella personally instructed his protocol team not to include Ernesto Samper or Juan Manuel Santos among the guests invited to the inauguration ceremony. The decision did not come as a complete surprise, given that the president-elect has been one of the harshest critics of both former presidents for years.
In Samper’s case—who served as Colombia’s president from 1994 to 1998—De la Espriella has repeatedly questioned his political legacy and the impact that the so-called Process 8,000—when his presidential campaign was accused of receiving money from the Cali Cartel—had on the country’s institutions.
Regarding Santos—who served as Colombia’s president from 2010 to 2018—their differences have been shaped by De la Espriella’s criticism of the historic Peace Agreement signed with the now-defunct FARC a decade ago, as well as several of the policies implemented during Santos’ administration.
Ernesto Samper was the first to respond, using social media to react with irony to the news. The former president said the exclusion had ended up being a “birthday gift,” since it would save him the cost of buying a new suit, as well as transportation and hotel expenses for the trip to Cali.
In his trademark sarcastic tone, Samper also said he would rather spend the day enjoying the atmosphere of the Petronio Alvarez Festival and spending time with the people, a message that quickly went viral and fueled the political debate over the president-elect’s decision.
“I sincerely thank the president for this gift, which arrives on my birthday, because it saves me the expense of buying a new suit—or a military uniform—a plane ticket to Cali, and a hotel stay. I’d rather go dance salsa at Petronio and spend time with the people,” the former president wrote yesterday on his X account.
Acabo de enterarme de la noticia de que no estaré invitado a la posesión del presidente @ABDELAESPRIELLA el próximo 7 de agosto, en Cali. Agradezco profundamente al presidente este regalo, que me llega precisamente el día de mi cumpleaños, porque así me economizo un vestido nuevo…
— Ernesto Samper Pizano (@ernestosamperp) August 3, 2026
Juan Manuel Santos, for his part, did not respond directly to the exclusion, although people close to him did react. Members of his family criticized the decision and argued that a head of state represents all Colombians, regardless of ideological or political differences.
In that regard, Esteban Santos—the former president’s son—also took to social media to respond to his father’s exclusion from the presidential inauguration. “Since symbols have been talked about so much these days: a president represents all Colombians, including those who think differently. Excluding former presidents from a state ceremony is a petty gesture. Colombia needs more unity and less polarization,” he wrote.
Ya que estos días se ha hablado tanto de símbolos: un presidente representa a todos los colombianos, incluso a quienes piensan distinto. Excluir a expresidentes de una ceremonia de Estado es un gesto de pequeñez. Colombia necesita más unidad y menos polarización. https://t.co/ygSNcDEWKH
— Esteban Santos (@EstebanSantos10) August 3, 2026
Uribe and like-minded former presidents will attend the event
While Samper and Santos were left off the guest list, Alvaro Uribe was invited to the ceremony, along with former presidents Andres Pastrana, Cesar Gaviria, and Ivan Duque.
Uribe’s presence is not unexpected given the political closeness between the two and the support the former president has expressed for several of the proposals promoted by De la Espriella during the presidential campaign, despite their rivalry for the same political space on Colombia’s right.
The makeup of the guest list has been interpreted as a reflection of the new political landscape that will accompany the incoming administration and the alliances that will shape the start of the new government. It is also worth recalling that outgoing President Gustavo Petro excluded himself from the event after repeating allegations of alleged election fraud.
The controversy over the invitations adds to other debates surrounding the organization of the presidential inauguration, from the decision to move the ceremony to Cali to the highly polarized atmosphere accompanying the transition between Gustavo Petro’s outgoing administration and Abelardo de la Espriella’s incoming government.
Although the ceremony will be attended by foreign heads of state, international delegations, and several former Colombian presidents, the exclusion of Samper and Santos ultimately became one of the most talked-about issues in the lead-up to the transfer of power.
Beyond the names on the guest list, the tense atmosphere surrounding Abelardo de la Espriella’s presidential inauguration reflects a moment in which political polarization and the breakdown of diplomatic protocol appear to have taken precedence over preserving institutional norms as the foundation for building a country.
