Far-right firebrand Abelardo de la Espriella will probably be sworn in as president immediately, following a intently fought election that happened amid a surge in political violence. The inauguration is being held not within the capital, Bogota, however within the southwestern metropolis of Cali, which has been rocked by a wave of violent assaults this 12 months. The break from custom is “meant to sign his hardline method to unlawful armed teams working within the area,” the Related Press reported. De la Espriella received June’s runoff election on guarantees to crack down on drug trafficking and violent crime.
An ally of President Trump who goes by the nickname “El Tigre,” or “The Tiger,” de la Espriella has pledged to take the alternative method of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, who favored negotiating with armed teams. De la Espriella claims that technique has didn’t curb Colombia’s persistent violence.
His win is a part of a broader rightward shift throughout Latin America, with right-wing candidates gaining floor in Peru, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and Panama, the place weak economies and rising crime have equally reshaped voter priorities. This pattern has much less to do with a real ideological shift amongst voters than with which problem tops their listing of issues, Orlando J. Perez wrote in a WPR briefing final month. In a Latinobarometro survey, near half of the respondents named crime as Colombia’s gravest drawback, and de la Espriella’s tough-on-crime message has tapped into that concern.
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