Bogotá.- The president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, visited the Casa de Nariño, the seat of the Executive branch, for the first time this Friday accompanied by his wife, Ana Lucía Pineda, an indication that he will finally work from that location in downtown Bogotá, which he initially wanted to turn into a museum.
“Walking through the halls of the Casa de Nariño hand in hand with my wife, the first lady, has a profound meaning for me: we are beginning a new stage of our lives together, in the service of Colombia,” expressed the president on his X account, along with a video in which the presidential couple can be seen walking through the palace’s halls and rooms.
According to the president, he and his wife arrived at the Casa de Nariño “with dreams, convictions, and the determination to give their best” for the country.
“Every step through this House reminds us of the enormous responsibility we have ahead, but also the extraordinary opportunity to build a new beginning for millions of Colombians,” he added.
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The couple’s tour of the Casa de Nariño took place just days after, according to local media, the president reconsidered his decision not to occupy the seat of Government.
On July 26, before assuming the Presidency, De la Espriella announced that he would not work from the Casa de Nariño, which he hoped to turn into a museum, but rather from the San Carlos Palace, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates.
The president has emphasized that his Government will be run from the regions and that day he assured that the Presidency will operate from different cities, with Barranquilla, capital of the Atlántico department, as an alternate headquarters, and to that end, a military facility was conditioned to serve as his presidential office.
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However, the dynamics of the work, especially after the powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred on the third day of his term, forced him to work for several days from Bogotá, and the San Carlos Palace proved impractical, especially because it lacks the communications and security facilities of the Casa de Nariño, which even has a heliport.
“We want a Colombia that believes again, that recovers hope and security, that moves forward with pride and that looks to the future with the certainty that its best days are yet to come,” the president concluded his message today.
