Bogotá .- The Senate of Colombia requested information from the commander of the Military Forces, General Hugo Alejandro López Barreto, regarding security conditions for Congress to hold a session on August 7 in the department of Cauca and to swear in the president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, there.
In an official letter dated July 24 and released this Sunday, the Secretary General of the Senate, Diego Alejandro González, tells the general that “the requested information is essential” to make a decision regarding the venue for De la Espriella’s inauguration.
The president-elect insists on being sworn into office at a military garrison in Cauca (southwest), one of the departments hardest hit by the armed conflict, despite the security risks and logistical and protocol difficulties that this entails.
“In compliance with the instructions issued by the President of the Congress of the Republic (…) I hereby request that you inform (…) whether there are sufficient, suitable, and necessary conditions and security measures to fully guarantee the life, personal integrity, and safety of the honorable senators and representatives to the House, as well as the public servants and other officials who would participate in said session,” it indicates.
The Senate approved last Wednesday by 55 votes in favor and 32 against, that De la Espriella’s inauguration for the 2026-2030 term be held in Cauca, although it left pending the definition of the exact location of the ceremony, which must be defined in next Tuesday’s session.
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The drawbacks of the investiture in a military garrison
De la Espriella, an ultra-rightist aligned with the military establishment, refuses to back down from his idea of being invested in a battalion to pay tribute “to the true heroes of the nation,” as he puts it, which, apart from being inappropriate, is interpreted by analysts and politicians as a sign that civil power could be subordinate to the military in his government.
The Senate’s official letter requests that the commander of the Military Forces “specify whether, in accordance with the risk assessment carried out by the competent authorities, the operational, logistical, and security capabilities required to guarantee the development of the session under full security conditions are in place or, if not, that the circumstances or factors that could compromise it be reported.”
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In Cauca, located on the Pacific coast, the dissidents of the former FARC operate primarily, carrying out attacks almost daily against the Army, the Police, or civilians not only in that department but also in the neighboring Valle del Cauca, even using drones loaded with explosives.
The National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla also operates in Cauca, and authorities suspect it was responsible for an explosive attack carried out last night against a soft drink company plant in Popayán, the departmental capital, which only caused material damage.
The standoff with Petro over the inauguration
The Colombian Constitution establishes that the presidential inauguration must take place before Congress and it has traditionally been held in the Elliptical Hall of the Capitol, although the last inaugurations have taken place in the Plaza de Bolívar, in the center of Bogotá, and there are no recent precedents for a different venue.
Furthermore, the outgoing president, Gustavo Petro, has been clear in pointing out that he is the head of the Armed Forces until August 7, the day De la Espriella will take office, and, as such, he will not allow the use of any garrison or military installation for the inauguration of “any civil power official.”
