Colombia has elected nationalist lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella as its new president, marking a sharp political turn and bringing a hardline security agenda and market-friendly policies to the fore.
Nicknamed “The Tiger” by his followers, De La Espriella portrayed himself as an anti-establishment saviour capable of reviving Colombia’s ailing economy and restoring order in a country rattled by illegal armed groups and drug trafficking.
He pulled off a victory in the first round in late May with 43.7 percent of the vote and then beat leftist senator Ivan Cepeda in the runoff with 49.66 percent to Cepeda’s 48.7 percent, according to the national registrar’s tally.
De La Espriella, who blames outgoing President Gustavo for Colombia’s economic and security woes, won over a plurality of voters with pledges to reduce the size of the state by 40 percent, broaden the tax base and end peace efforts with armed groups in favour of a hardened military response.
He plans to restart oil exploration and allow fracking to nearly double production to 1.3 million barrels per day.
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