On August 5, Abelardo de la Espriella — the winner of the Colombian presidential election — will assume the country’s highest office. This marks a shift away from the policies of former leftist guerrilla Gustavo Petro, who had strained relations with Washington over the past few years and moved closer to the Havana-Caracas axis.

Abelardo de la Espriella is a figure comparable to Donald Trump. He is a Colombian lawyer, businessman, and politician born on July 31, 1979, in Bogotá. He grew up in Montería — a city in the department of Córdoba, in northern Colombia — where his father ran for governor in 1997.

In 2002, he founded his firm, De La Espriella Abogados, with offices in Colombia and the United States. A litigator, the 47-year-old ran for the Colombian presidency, finishing first in the initial round of voting.

His political stance aligns with what Argentine political scientist Agustín Laje has termed the “New Right,” combining social conservatism with support for free-market economics. This made him a source of genuine dread for the Colombian Left.

That dread regarding the change — specifically the change feared by the Left represented by “Petrismo” — is now becoming a reality.

David Cote, a representative for Bogotá for the 2026-2030 term and a member of the Democratic Center (Centro Democrático) party, is certain there will be shifts in foreign policy.

“President Abelardo de la Espriella has been unequivocal in stating that he does not wish to maintain close relations with governments viewed as dictatorships, such as Cuba and Nicaragua,” Cote emphasized. “In the case of Venezuela, the analysis is more complex due to geopolitical, economic, and border-related factors. Relations with that country will also be influenced by the international context and the stance of strategic allies like the United States.”

However, according to the legislator, the general stance expressed by the president-elect is one of “defending democracy, fundamental freedoms, and human rights. In this regard, a much more critical stance toward authoritarian regimes is to be expected compared to that seen under previous governments.”

On the domestic front, the new president has pledged to combat the criminal and paramilitary structures linked to drug trafficking — structures whose ultimate destination is, to a large extent, the United States.

In a recent speech, he stated that the city of Medellín would host the “headquarters of the ‘Shield of the Americas’ — the agreement we are going to sign with the United States to fight crime and drug trafficking.”

The incoming leader asserted that the city was chosen because, in his view, “here in Medellín lies the head of the serpent of drug trafficking and organized crime,” maintaining that “most orders for the rest of the country originate” from that zone and its metropolitan area.

The “Shield of the Americas,” it will be recalled, is an initiative promoted by the administration of President Donald Trump — alongside various right-wing Latin American governments — to strengthen regional cooperation in the fight against narcotics trafficking and transnational organized crime.

Like Cote, de la Espriella advocates for bolstering security forces and implementing stricter controls regarding riots or violent blockades — tactics favored by the Colombian Left to halt the work of governments they oppose. Furthermore, the leader champions the family, the right to life, and religious freedom.

In short, this represents a 180-degree turn — one that will not please the opposition, which has become increasingly radicalized regarding gender policies, indigenismo (indigenous ideology movements), liberation theology, and statism. Yet, this is good news for Colombia’s relations with its neighbors, as well as for the prosperity and security of its upstanding citizens.