Bogotá.- The Senate of Colombia approved this Wednesday the relocation of the inauguration ceremony of the Colombian president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, to the city of Cali, thereby definitively endorsing the holding, for the first time in recent history, of a presidential inauguration outside of Bogotá.
The proposal received the support of 58 senators, while 30 voted against it, one day after the House of Representatives did the same with 117 votes in favor and seven against.
With this decision, the joint session of Congress in which De la Espriella will be sworn in as President of the Republic will be held on August 7 at the USC Arena, at the Santiago de Cali University, and not in the Elliptical Hall of the National Capitol, the traditional venue for presidential inaugurations.
The city is already preparing to host the inauguration ceremony, which will make the capital of the Valle del Cauca department (southwest) the first city outside of Bogotá to host a presidential inauguration.
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Why in Cali?
The president-elect has explained that he chose Cali due to its location in a region hit for decades by violence and drug trafficking and because he wants the beginning of his administration to symbolize support for the Military Forces.
Local and national authorities are preparing an extensive security operation that will include aerial surveillance, anti-drone systems, several protection rings, and checkpoints at the main entrances to the city, in addition to special measures for international delegations.
According to the president-elect, José Manuel Restrepo, among the attendees who confirmed their attendance are King Felipe VI of Spain and the presidents of Argentina, Javier Milei, and Paraguay, Santiago Peña.
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Initially, De la Espriella wanted to assume the position at a military garrison in Popayán, capital of the Cauca department, one of the areas most affected by the Colombian armed conflict, an idea that was heavily criticized due to the logistical, security, and protocol inconveniences that moving to that city would entail.
Last Sunday, the president-elect argued that he changed the location where he wants the inauguration to be held because ash emissions from the Puracé volcano, near Popayán, suspended operations at that city’s airport last week.
