Speaking in Barranquilla on Sunday, De la Espriella said the mechanism would distinguish peaceful protest from violence , people being caught in the act, danger or extraordinary disruptions to public order.

'I will not allow public universities to remain sanctuaries of violence under any circumstances,' he said.

The president said students would continue to have the right to study, debate and protest peacefully. However, he warned that university autonomy would not stop authorities from responding to alleged criminal activity.

'But to those who intend to use a university to prepare terrorist attacks, store items intended for violence, or assault citizens or members of the security forces, I say with absolute clarity: university autonomy is not a licence for impunity,' he said.

De la Espriella also said peaceful demonstrations carried out within the Constitution and the law would be respected.

'But urban terrorism, vandalism, the destruction of infrastructure and attacks against our security forces and the civilian population are not protests; they are conduct that the state has a duty to confront decisively,' he added.

According to the president, universities will retain their autonomy. However, he said that autonomy does not extend to the management of public order or place university campuses outside the authority of the state.

The measure, announced on Wednesday, reverses a restriction that had been in place since 2016 and affects hundreds of thousands of permit holders.

Defending the decision, De la Espriella argued that law-abiding Colombians should have the ability to protect themselves when criminals are illegally armed.

"It is unacceptable that criminals are armed to the teeth and decent people cannot defend themselves," De la Espriella said, arguing that "99.9 of crimes committed with weapons are committed with unlicensed weapons, with illegal weapons."

The change allows people who already hold valid permits to legally carry their firearms again.

The decision is likely to renew debate in Colombia over gun policy and whether allowing more legally held firearms to be carried will improve public safety.

This is the subject of an explainer by Carolay, part of our Global South Voices team, which examines the debate over whether such images demonstrate state authority or risk crossing into dehumanisation. The discussion also touches on international humanitarian law and the treatment of the dead, as well as the rights and dignity of their relatives. The debate comes as De la Espriella’s government has adopted a more aggressive military approach towards armed groups, including several operations against FARC dissidents in Guaviare since taking office.

Speaking during a ceremony recognising Colombia’s new military leadership in Bogota, De la Espriella said some prisons had become centres for criminal operations.

"It is regrettable that Colombia's prisons have ceased to be places of confinement to become dens - dens of criminality - universities of crime from which extortion and threats are made, murders are ordered and terrorist structures are directed," he said.

The president said the planned mega-prisons would be built with private-sector participation as part of his government ’s strategy against organised crime.

"I remain unwavering in my commitment to build maximum-security mega-prisons to confine the most dangerous terrorists in the country. These projects will be carried out with the private sector," he said.

The plan forms part of a wider campaign against armed groups linked to drug trafficking , illegal mining, smuggling and fuel theft.

De la Espriella also warned officials and private individuals against holding unauthorised talks or communications with armed groups. He said his government would continue extraditing people wanted by other countries.

"This republic will never kneel before crime again. Absolutely no one is authorised to establish communication with terrorist groups. Any official or private individual who does so will be brought before the courts," he warned.

According to De la Espriella, security forces have neutralised 21 ringleaders and arrested more than 500 people during the first days of his government.

He said authorities had also seized 13 tonnes of cocaine and destroyed 83 drug-production sites.

Speaking in Barranquilla, De la Espriella said an initial technical assessment had estimated the scale of damage from the earthquake, which mainly affected Valle del Cauca and Risaralda.

"A private firm modelled direct physical losses in Choco, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Quindio and Caldas, close to 30 trillion pesos, roughly 24.5 trillion in buildings and 5.5 trillion in infrastructure . Imagine the scale of the disaster," he detailed.

De la Espriella said Choco, where the epicentre was located, needs "special consideration and a Marshall Plan" to address historical debts and rebuild damaged homes and buildings.

He also highlighted a World Bank loan secured to support the emergency response.

"In record time, the Ministry of Finance activated the disbursement of the first tranche of a World Bank loan for US$200 million," he said.

According to the president, the funds are available "to meet the most pressing needs of the victims of this natural disaster", and he expressed his gratitude to the international organisation for the speed of its response.

De la Espriella also announced rent subsidies, relief on public services and a programme called "Miracle Housing" for affected families.

"We will carry out the census, profile each case and deliver concrete solutions for all Colombians affected. My government will shoulder this responsibility with austerity," he asserted.

The quake has destroyed at least 26,945 homes and damaged more than 127,557 properties nationwide, according to the report presented by De la Espriella. At least 289 people have died, 4,187 have been injured and 143 remain missing.

The structure, also known as the Cachimbal tollbooth, was in the final stage of construction under the Nuevo Cauca concession at kilometre 60 of the dual carriageway between Popayán and Santander de Quilichao.

The explosion caused severe damage to the newly built infrastructure. Two security guards suffered minor injuries, according to the Army.

Authorities attributed the attack to FARC dissidents led by the figure known as “Iván Mordisco”, who operate in the region.

The incident came a day after Abelardo de la Espriella took office as President of Colombia after pledging a tougher approach to armed groups and drug trafficking .

Hours earlier, a police officer was killed in the northern department of Cesar during a drone attack involving explosives against a police station.

In a video shared on social media on Sunday, De la Espriella said the first phase of the overhaul would involve closing Colombian embassies in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Cuba, Czechia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Romania, Senegal and South Africa .

He said Colombia needed diplomacy that was "modern, efficient, and at the service of national interests", instead of what he described as "politicking and bureaucracy."

"We cannot maintain such a costly structure that does not produce concrete results for the country," he said.

De la Espriella said Colombia would continue relations with most of the affected countries through concurrent representation, with ambassadors serving from diplomatic missions elsewhere in their respective regions.

"These decisions do not mean breaking diplomatic relations with those countries (...) except with Cuba and Nicaragua. In my government there will be no ties whatsoever with tyrannies," he said.

The president-elect also announced that his administration would halt plans to open a Colombian embassy in Palestine , saying the mission had never begun operating. He added that around 15 consulates would also be closed.

According to De la Espriella, the changes would allow Colombia to expand its diplomatic presence in countries offering "real strategic opportunities."

He also reaffirmed his campaign pledge to reopen Colombia's embassy in Israel , based in Jerusalem.

De la Espriella further said he would ask the House of Representatives to move his August 7 inauguration from Popayán to Cali, arguing that volcanic activity in south-western Colombia could disrupt flights and affect the ceremony's logistics.

In a video address shared on social media on Tuesday, De la Espriella alleged that Petro and Historic Pact candidate Ivan Cepeda were trying to overturn the election result.

"Petro and Cepeda launched their plan B to remain in power no matter what. And they want to do it through a coup d'etat," he warned.

De la Espriella claimed the situation had worsened in recent hours, accusing Petro of exceeding his authority by rejecting the election outcome and declaring Cepeda the winner.

"Cepeda, playing the good cop, is calling for civil disobedience so as not to recognise the votes that, in democracy, in freedom, the Colombian people cast at the ballot box to make me president of all," he added.

The president-elect appealed to Colombia's armed forces to uphold the Constitution and defend the country's democratic institutions. He also urged the international community to remain "watchful, attentive, and supportive of us."

De la Espriella further alleged that Petro and Cepeda were seeking to avoid future investigations.

"Added to this is the fear that both Petro and Cepeda have of the revelations to come, not only regarding all the corruption that ran rampant during these four dark years of government , but also the legal consequences their ties to narcoterrorism will bring, both with criminal groups inside Colombia and with the cartel led by the narco-dictator Nicolas Maduro," he said.

Political tensions increased after Carlos Alonso Lucio, a member of De la Espriella's transition team, said Petro should "be tried" and could face extradition to the United States if requested by US authorities.

De la Espriella later announced the suspension of the presidential transition process with the outgoing administration.

Finance Minister and transition coordinator German Avila subsequently halted transition meetings, saying remarks made by members of the incoming administration had jeopardised the process.

Speaking behind bulletproof glass, de la Espriella told supporters that voters had rejected corruption, armed groups and the political establishment.

“We have defeated the rifles that threatened hundreds of thousands of our compatriots in the territories that the government handed over to narco-terrorist groups. We have defeated at the ballot box the corruption that tried to buy votes and failed. Therefore, my fellow citizens, let us recognise a victory for the people , a people who have spoken. And the people must celebrate this triumph,” he said.

While celebrating the outcome, de la Espriella also called on supporters to closely monitor the vote-counting process as authorities move toward the official certification of results.

“Take care of the votes. Let the lawyers be vigilant, ready to protect what the people have decided. To all Colombians, activists, defenders of the homeland, influencers, friends, and members of the Tiger pack: social media will continue to be our bastion of democratic struggle,” he went on to say.

The candidate said a future administration under his leadership would focus on restoring state authority, tackling organised crime and strengthening ties with countries that respect democratic institutions and the rule of law.

Supporters at the event welcomed the result and expressed hope that a new government could create better opportunities for younger Colombians.

With nearly all polling stations reporting, preliminary election figures place de la Espriella in first place with 12,959,542 votes, representing 49.66 percent of ballots cast. Ivan Cepeda follows with 12,708,712 votes, or 48.70 percent.

Under Colombia's electoral system, the preliminary count is followed by a scrutiny process in which vote tallies are officially reviewed and certified before final results are confirmed.

The outcome highlights a deeply polarised political landscape, with voters largely backing candidates from either the political right or left, while centrist contenders failed to gain significant support.

The runoff campaign is expected to focus on issues including security, drug trafficking, economic management, democratic institutions and the legacy of President Gustavo Petro’s government.

Speaking to supporters after advancing to the second round, de la Espriella presented the election as a defining moment for the country.

“This is tyranny or institutionality. The past or the future, complicity or independence and patriotism,” he said. “There is no more room for indifference.”

He also accused his rival of links to criminal groups, describing Cepeda as “a bandit allied with narco-terrorists.”

De la Espriella said that if elected, he would uphold judicial independence, work with local governments regardless of political affiliation, reduce poverty, strengthen security, combat drug trafficking and restore state authority across Colombia.

Cepeda, meanwhile, criticised what he described as foreign involvement in the election after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa publicly congratulated de la Espriella and criticised the left-wing candidate on social media .

“Foreign governments are meddling in our elections,” Cepeda said.

He also called for greater scrutiny of his opponent’s campaign finances and questioned the scale of spending behind the campaign.

Cepeda argued that the runoff represents a choice between preserving social policies advanced under the current administration and a shift toward a conservative government.

“Mr de la Espriella represents fascism, mafia fascism,” he said, warning that social gains achieved during the current government could be reversed if his opponent wins.

The June 21 runoff will determine whether Colombia continues with the left-leaning political agenda associated with the Historical Pact or moves toward a more conservative, security-focused approach under de la Espriella. With the first-round margin relatively narrow, both candidates are expected to intensify efforts to attract voters whose preferred candidates were eliminated, making coalition-building and voter outreach central to the final stage of the campaign.