President-elect Abelardo De La Espriella spoke on the morning of July 21 about the election of Honorio Henríquez, a congressman from the Democratic Center, as the new president of the Senate. Henríquez defeated Alfredo Deluque, from the ‘U’ party, who had the backing of the future government.
Finally, after obtaining the support of the Historic Pact, Henríquez won the election with 56 votes against the 45 obtained by Deluque on the night of July 20.
In a video shared through his social media, the president-elect assured that he fully respects the autonomy of the Congress of the Republic and pointed out that, for that reason, he did not call any congressman to ask for votes or offer positions, contracts, or perks to elect Deluque.
“It had been more than 30 years since the Senate’s board of directors was elected through a free vote, without bureaucratic distributions. That strengthens our democracy,” De La Espriella affirmed.
The future president, who will assume power after a ceremony that will take place on August 7, indicated that initially he wanted Senator Enrique Gómez to impose the presidential sash on him as head of the Legislative. However, he stated that he gave up on this idea due to the principle of institutional balance and because Gómez’s brother, Miguel Gómez Martínez, will be his Executive’s Minister of Finance; and that his son, Nicolás Gómez, will be the chief of staff of the Presidency of the Republic.
“I myself withdrew his name (Enrique Gómez’s), I was never obsessed with the presidency of the Senate. That is the truth. My interest was never to control that election, but to act with absolute respect for institutions and the separation of powers,” he emphasized.
De La Espriella said that it was then that the name of Senator Alfredo Deluque emerged, whom he highlighted for being by his side “from the beginning of the presidential campaign.” According to the president-elect, it was Deluque himself who expressed his interest in aspiring to the presidency of the upper house, so he recounted that he invited the congressman to gather the necessary support and offered him his backing.
“I told President Álvaro Uribe the same thing when we discussed the matter. I told him: ‘President, we are in a democracy, let each candidate seek their votes and let the delegates see if they reach an agreement and in the end let it be Congress, in exercise of its independence, that makes the decision’,” he narrated.
In his statement, De La Espriella pointed out that this was exactly what happened on July 20, an election without pressure, perks, or benefits, and reiterated that in his government there will be no undue negotiations or buying of support.
He also indicated that, far from being concerned about the result and the way the vote in the Senate unfolded, it is a situation that fills him with joy “because it is the demonstration that there is authentic independence between the Legislative and Executive branches” which, in turn, strengthens democracy and institutions.
“In more than 30 years, an election for the Senate’s board of directors had not been truly decided by a clean vote, without agreements imposed by the national government or bureaucratic distributions. Far from worrying me, this situation fills me with optimism,” he highlighted.
“I did not call any congressman to ask for votes, offer positions, contracts or perks (…) I am sure that, from the independence of each corporation, we will find common ground”: Abelardo De La Espriella spoke about the election of the presidents of the Senate and…
— EL TIEMPO (@ELTIEMPO) July 21, 2026
Abelardo De La Espriella congratulated Honorio Henríquez on his election to the Senate
The future president of Colombians also took the opportunity in his statement to congratulate Honorio Henríquez on his election as president of the Senate and reiterated that he has no veto or animosity towards him, as he recalled knowing him for more than 30 years. He even stated that he would soon communicate with him to congratulate him and wished him “the greatest success in his management.”
De La Espriella also referred to the Democratic Center, after some discussions with former President Uribe over the crucial election, and affirmed that he hopes that, as a governing party, they will “support all initiatives that benefit Colombia, improve the lives of our people, strengthen institutions, and defend freedom.”
“I trust that they will act responsibly and always thinking about the superior interest of the country,” he reiterated.
Finally, the president-elect sent a message to Colombians, indicating that he wants the country to get used to a new way of doing politics and a government that respects institutions and does not buy support. He also reiterated that he is not a traditional politician and that he will dedicate himself to grand politics, which he assured is “serving Colombia.”
“I am sure that, from the independence of each corporation, we will find common ground to promote the initiatives that Colombia needs and make the Miracle Nation a reality,” he concluded.
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