Opposition Calls for Rallies on De la Espriella’s Inauguration Day in Colombia
The future left-wing opposition in Colombia will take to the streets this Friday, coinciding with the presidential inauguration of Abelardo de la Espriella, in a day of rallies called in Barranquilla, Cali, and Bogota to express its rejection of the incoming government.
The demonstrations—announced as “democratic and peaceful”—will bring together social organizations, labor unions, and leaders of the Historic Pact party, who will begin an opposition strategy from day one both in Congress and in the streets.
The rallies, which are part of the opposition’s announced strategy of peaceful civil disobedience, will take place during an inauguration that is already being regarded as one of the most unusual in Colombia’s recent history.
The ceremony will be held in Cali, breaking with the constitutional tradition of holding the transfer of power at the seat of Congress in Bogota. It will also be overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the absences and exclusions of several former presidents, amid the deep political polarization that has persisted since the presidential election.
Opposition leader in Congress Ivan Cepeda outlined this week the scope of the demonstrations called to coincide with the presidential inauguration. According to Cepeda, three main rallies will be held in Barranquilla, Cali, and Bogota, with the participation of social organizations, labor unions, civic groups, and members of the Historic Pact.
Cepeda said the rallies are intended to send a message of unity among the sectors that supported outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s political project and that will now move into opposition against De la Espriella’s administration. He also said the demonstrations will be peaceful and are intended to defend what that political bloc considers to be the achievements made during the outgoing administration.
The call for demonstrations comes after several weeks in which progressive leaders have insisted on keeping social mobilization active as a mechanism for political participation. Although the new government will enjoy broad support in Congress thanks to alliances with several political parties, the left has made it clear that it intends to take part of the political debate into the streets.
Cali will be one of the main settings for both the presidential ceremony and the opposition demonstrations, a situation that will require an extensive security operation. Authorities will also closely monitor the events planned in Bogota and Barranquilla to ensure the rallies remain incident-free.
“Our presence at rallies in Barranquilla, Cali, and Bogota will be a peaceful expression of civil disobedience and popular sovereignty,” Iván Cepeda said this morning on his X social media account.
The former presidential candidate and opposition leader to De la Espriella added that, “Regarding Abelardo De la Espriella’s oath of office, we reiterate that his U.S. citizenship constitutes an obstacle that can only be resolved if he renounces it, so that he may be recognized as a fully legitimate Head of State. The office of Head of State requires exclusive and unequivocal loyalty to the Colombian nation and its sovereignty,” alleging an alleged incompatibility between the president-elect’s dual citizenship and his role as Colombia’s Head of State.
7 DE AGOSTO, CON EL PUEBLO
El próximo 7 de agosto estaremos, como lo hemos hecho siempre, junto al pueblo colombiano.
No aceptamos que se nos impida el ejercicio democrático del derecho que tenemos a la oposición política.
Nuestra presencia en concentraciones en…
— Iván Cepeda Castro (@IvanCepedaCast) August 3, 2026
An unprecedented inauguration
Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration was already considered historic even before the demonstrations were announced. For the first time in Colombia’s recent history, the presidential transfer of power will not take place in Bogota or at the seat of Congress, as constitutional tradition has dictated for decades.
The decision to hold the inauguration in Cali has sparked intense political and institutional debate. Supporters argue that it represents a gesture of decentralization and recognition of Colombia’s regions, while critics contend that it breaks with a tradition that symbolizes the separation of powers and the institutional character of the presidential inauguration.
The change of venue has increased both national and international interest in a ceremony that has been at the center of Colombia’s political debate for weeks. Adding to the controversy over the location are the absences and exclusions surrounding the guest list. The decision to leave out former Presidents Ernesto Samper and Juan Manuel Santos sparked fresh criticism and opened a debate over the institutional nature of the ceremony.
Meanwhile, other former presidents—including Alvaro Uribe, Andres Pastrana, Cesar Gaviria, and Ivan Duque—were invited to attend the official event. The difference in how former presidents were treated fueled criticism from opposition sectors, which argue that the ceremony reflects the deep political divisions facing the country.
The broader political context has done little to ease tensions. The presidential election left Colombia deeply polarized, with a closely contested result and a society divided between those who support the new direction promised by De la Espriella and those who believe the policies implemented under Gustavo Petro’s administration should continue.
The rallies scheduled for this Friday will be one of the opposition’s first major demonstrations of strength following the new president’s arrival in office. At the same time, the inauguration will formally mark the beginning of an administration that faces the challenge of governing a politically fragmented country, where differences between the government and the opposition continue to dominate public debate just weeks after the election.