The Japan Times - Abelardo de la Espriella, the flamboyant millionaire taking power in Colombia

The millionaire lawyer with a taste for spectacle is set to take office on Friday after a campaign focused on anger and fears about security.

Following a legal career that saw him represent drug-trafficking paramilitaries, fraudsters and football stars, he has promised to restore order with an iron hand.

During the campaign, he leaned heavily into his self-proclaimed nickname "The Tiger," sharing AI-generated images of himself as a fanged tiger and the only candidate willing to wage war on crime and insurgency.

"I have the balls to restore order," he said repeatedly.

He didn't always play the tough guy. He previously lived in Florence, Italy, where he dabbled in opera, travelled by private jet and promoted his rum, wine and fashion brand -- "De la Espriella Style."

He brought that flair, tailored clothing and a taste for provocation into public life.

The message resonated with almost half of voters. De la Espriella won the presidential runoff, albeit by less than a percentage point.

- 'All-out war' -

De la Espriella promised a sharp break with the outgoing leftist government in a hardline program of "all-out war" on armed groups, the construction of "mega-prisons," a military alliance with Washington and Israel and a drastically reduced state.

"People who have created wealth during their lives should run the country," he once told AFP unapologetically.

His rhetoric has often been incendiary. He once called for the Colombian left to be "gutted," a comment he later withdrew.

His campaign was also briefly tripped up by court rulings banning his use of national symbols like Colombia's football jersey -- decisions that were later overturned.

Despite railing against what he describes as the failed political establishment, De la Espriella's incoming cabinet features a familiar cast of right-wing politicians.

"The horrible night is over," he stated days before his inauguration, in reference to four years of leftist rule.

He has leaned into a more conservative cultural message.

Once openly atheist, De la Espriella now says he lives by "Judeo-Christian principles" and calls for a "cultural counterrevolution" to return the country to God.

Supporters see a decisive leader prepared to confront Colombia's entrenched violence.

Critics warn that his confrontational style -- and admiration for figures such as US President Donald Trump, Argentina's Javier Milei and El Salvador's Nayib Bukele -- could deepen divisions in a country where past polarization has brought bloodshed.

- Penchant for swearing -

Even his personal stories have stirred controversy. In one interview, he recalled tying fireworks to cats as a child, later insisting he was joking.

His hot temper, penchant for swearing and frequent references to his own genitals have done nothing to dent his popularity.

For his base, those rough edges are part of the appeal.

From a childhood he describes as carefree, "in the style of Tom Sawyer," to a jet-set legal career and now the presidency, De la Espriella has built a narrative of success and self-reliance -- one he argues Colombia should follow.

Now, the "Tiger" faces the challenge of governing a country as divided as the campaign that brought him to power.

S.Fujimoto--JT