With 49.7% of the vote against 48.7% for left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda, Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia’s June 21 presidential election by just 0.96 percentage points, or around 250,000 votes, out of more than 26 million ballots cast. At 47 years old, the ultraconservative lawyer backed by Donald Trump is promising 90 decrees during his first 100 days in office to transform the country.
Abelardo de la Espriella’s Agenda
Reducing the Size of Government
The new president wants to cut the size of the public administration by 40% and eliminate several ministries.
Control of Conflict Zones
The ultraconservative leader pledged that during his first three months in office, he would capture or kill a dozen major leaders of narco-terrorism and organized crime.
Prisons
The new president has pledged to build 10 mega-prisons, modeled on Nayib Bukele’s approach in El Salvador, located in the country’s most remote regions.
Coca Cultivation
He plans to “fumigate the original source of all forms of violence, namely the 330,000 hectares of coca crops“, using aerial spraying, drones and manual eradication.
Healthcare
His program includes an allocation of 10 trillion pesos (around $2.75 billion) to guarantee hospital financing, medicine supplies and emergency care.
Growth
He promises to raise Colombia’s growth rate to 7%. It stood at 0.7% in 2023, 1.6% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2025.
In May 2026, Reuters estimated Colombia’s growth forecast for 2026 at 2.5%.
Colombia in Numbers
Ranked as the world’s 39th-largest economy with a GDP of $408.8 billion, Colombia combines persistent social challenges (33% poverty, 8.3% unemployment) with high levels of crime (25 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants). Its per capita CO₂ emissions (1.8 tons) are among the lowest in the world, while military spending (3.4% of GDP) is among the highest.
| Value | Rank out of 189 countries | |
| Area (km²) | 1,141,748 | 26 |
| Population (millions) | 52.9 | 28 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78 | 63 |
| GDP (US$ bn) | 408.8 | 39 |
| GDP per capita | 7,919 | 89 |
| Unemployment rate (%) | 8.3 | 40 (*) |
| Poverty rate | 33.0% | 90 |
| Number of homicides | 13,500 | 8 (*) |
| Homicides per 100,000 inhabitants | 25 | 14 (*) |
| CO2 emissions (million tonnes) | 97 | 39 (*) |
| CO2 emissions per capita (tons/year) | 1.8 | 120 (*) |
| Military budget (US$ bn) | 14.5 | 25 |
| Military spending as a share of GDP | 3.4% | 20 |
| (*) : the higher the ranking, the better the outcome. | ||
Sources:
– Right-wing candidate wins tight presidential election | Reuters
– Who is Abelardo de la Espriella? | Atlantic Council
– Abelardo de la Espriella’s 90 decrees | EL PAÍS Colombia
– Who is Abelardo de la Espriella? | Reuters
– Colombia | World Bank Data
– GDP growth (annual %) – Colombia | World Bank Data
– Colombia posts 2.6% growth in 2025 | Boursorama
– Reuters cuts Colombia’s 2026 growth forecast to 2.5% | Gate News
