Colombia’s conservative lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella was inaugurated as the country’s new president on Friday, Aug. 8. This opens a markedly different political chapter after four years under the country’s first leftist government. 

The political newcomer won one of Colombia’s closest presidential races, promising a tougher response to crime and a sharp change in economic policy. His challenge now is to govern a country that was split almost evenly at the ballot box. 

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