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Colombian hard-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella connected Friday named a erstwhile lawmaker whose begetter was killed by infamous cause lord Pablo Escobar arsenic his aboriginal interior minister.
De la Espriella narrowly won Sunday's runoff by little than a percent constituent and has pledged to usage a dense manus connected transgression erstwhile helium takes bureau successful August.
In his archetypal furniture announcement, the millionaire lawyer named Rodrigo Lara arsenic his interior minister.
"He who NEVER, contempt having been a unfortunate of violence, stopped moving for his homeland," De la Espriella said successful a social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video.
The incoming minister's father, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, was serving arsenic justness curate successful 1984 erstwhile helium was gunned down successful Bogota connected Escobar's orders.
In a 2021 societal media post, Lara noted his father's assassination.
"He fought and died alone, knowing helium was going to beryllium killed. He ne'er wavered; helium ne'er yielded to the powerfulness of the worst criminals," Lara wrote. "His sacrifice was an enactment of ultimate emotion for Colombia—an enactment of religion and hope."
Hace 37 años fue asesinado mi padre, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, cuando tenía 37 años de edad
Luchó y murió solo, sabiendo que lo iban a matar. Nunca se amilanó, nunca cedió al poder de los peores criminales
Su sacrificio fue un acto amor supremo por Colombia, de fe y esperanza. pic.twitter.com/1TBKPbBD5X
The notorious cause baron's forces were engaged successful unfastened confrontation with the authorities astatine the time, successful an effort to forestall cartel members' extradition to the United States.
Lara, who was 8 years aged erstwhile his begetter was killed, subsequently went into exile successful Europe with the remainder of his family, and spent respective years distant earlier returning to Colombia.
"We volition forge a large statement connected the cardinal things that unite us," the lawyer and erstwhile legislator wrote connected X.
Lara antecedently served arsenic erstwhile hardline president Alvaro Uribe's anti-corruption czar.
As a lawmaker, helium promoted policies related to the historical bid accord with the now-defunct rebel service FARC -- an statement De la Espriella present virulently criticizes.
The president-elect told AFP during the run helium wants to weaponry the country's myriad equipped groups and conception "mega-prisons."
Right-wing millionaire backed by Trump
The recently elected president, whose concern ventures see a covering line, vino and rum brands, and a restaurant, earned President Trump's endorsement contempt ne'er having tally for office. He defeated progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda by 1 percent point, oregon much than 251,000 votes.
The effect efficaciously was an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro's government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a mostly failed effort to found dialog with aggregate equipped groups.
Studies have recovered that Petro's attempted bid dialog policies person resulted successful the enlargement of powerfulness and rank of equipped transgression groups. Cepeda had participated successful and continued passim the run to beforehand negotiations with guerrillas and cartels.
The contented has been peculiarly salient for low-income families surviving adjacent fields of coca, the shrub utilized to marque cocaine, arsenic quality rights organizations documented much than 50 massacres successful Colombia conscionable this year.
De la Espriella's victory adds Colombia to a increasing database of countries that person turned to governmental outsiders successful hunt of solutions to analyzable social, information and economical challenges.
Similar to Mr. Trump, de la Espriella was seen arsenic a combative governmental outsider. He got into aggregate clashes galore considered disrespectful, particularly with women journalists, during the campaign. He was besides known for utilizing pyrotechnics during his run events.
Historically, Colombia has been the United States' apical state successful counternarcotics and 1 of its astir important commercialized partners successful the Western Hemisphere. But U.S.-Colombia relations deteriorated sharply nether Petro. In 2025, Mr. Trump formally determined that Colombia had "failed demonstrably" in its counternarcotics commitments and threatened subject strikes connected the country's land.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Trump-backed populist elected Colombian president
Trump-backed populist wins adjacent Colombia statesmanlike runoff election
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