This Sunday, July 12, the outgoing president Gustavo Petro ordered that no military establishment be used for the inauguration of Abelardo de la Espriella on the upcoming August 7.
According to his statements, “the transfer of command to the new president is under the laws of the Republic and the Constitution.”
This is what Gustavo Petro said about Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration
The place to carry out this process became a new point of contention between the outgoing government and the cabinet of the president-elect. The intention for it to be held in a military garrison has become a topic of debate over the past few weeks.
Just over a month before the event takes place, the vice president-elect, José Manuel Restrepo, had already provided details about the upcoming August 7. In his statement to Revista Semana, he highlighted the symbolism of the location and the endorsement it represents for the armed institutions.
“It will be in a military garrison and it will be a demonstration, above all, very important, of recognition to the actors of the public force,” he said a few days ago.
José Manuel Restrepo emphasized that the main objective is to “officially start the constitutional mandate.”
“What is clear is that it will be a modest inauguration because I believe that at this moment the country is not for parties, not for media shows,” he pointed out.
In that sense, Gustavo Petro has said that the Colombian legal framework is clear that the inauguration must be done before Congress and that the main venue is in Bogotá.
“The law states what the seat of the Congress of the Republic is, where the people’s laws must be debated and not those of mafias or foreigners; in the barracks laws are not made, security and defense actions for the people and their lives are carried out,” he said.
Gustavo Petro stated on his X account that “the military and police barracks are under his orders until the moment the new president takes the oath before the country.”
“Until that moment I am the supreme commander of the military forces, no officer salutes a civilian unless he is his supreme commander,” he explained.
Following that, he assured that his constitutional and legal powers allow him to order that no military establishment “be used for the inauguration.” Furthermore, he was emphatic that the laws of the Republic and the Constitution “establish that the president is inaugurated before Congress in a plenary session.”
🚨 President Gustavo Petro spoke out about the inauguration of the president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella.
— EL TIEMPO (@ELTIEMPO) July 13, 2026
Through his X account, the president ordered that no military establishment be used for the inauguration ceremony and assured that the Military Forces… pic.twitter.com/jnzAGxwbnb
The request of the president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella
For all the above, the political movement Defenders of the Homeland requested clarity from the Secretariat of Congress on whether it is possible to make a change of venue in the process.
“Describe the procedure provided in the Congress Regulations to propose, debate, and formalize the agreement between the Senate of the Republic and the House of Representatives that authorizes the transfer of the seat of Congress to a place other than the capital of the Republic,” reads the official document.
After requesting several clarifications about the inauguration process, the designated Minister of the Interior, Rodrigo Lara, also spoke on the matter and said that “he does not see anything incompatible with De la Espriella’s objective.”
“Congress meets in the Senate chamber, but can meet in Bolívar Square. If they agree and decree it, they can meet anywhere in the country,” Lara said.
Luisa Fernanda Gutiérrez Henao
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