Massive Earthquake Strikes Days After Taking Office... Colombia's New President Faces Major Test

The newly inaugurated president of Colombia, just three days into his term, faces the monumental task of handling the aftermath of the country's worst earthquake of the 21st century.

Foreign Policy and other foreign policy publications analyzed on the 11th (local time) that newly sworn-in Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella faces his first major test through the handling of this earthquake disaster.

The previous day's magnitude 7.4 strong earthquake and subsequent aftershocks caused about 5,000 homes to collapse and left some 250 people dead in Colombia.

Although it is an unofficial count, the number of missing persons is estimated at around 3,000.

As the 48 to 72 hours immediately following an earthquake are typically considered the critical "golden time" for rescuing survivors, a swift response from the Colombian government is urgently needed.

President Espriella is a former lawyer with no prior political experience.

Riding a wave of right-wing populism, he won the presidential election by a narrow margin and took office on the 7th.

Because of this, how he manages this earthquake is expected to have a significant impact on his approval ratings early in his term.

However, criticisms are already emerging that the government's response is somewhat slow.

According to Bloomberg, it took President Espriella five hours to deliver a national address the previous day, during which time the mayors of Pereira and Cali directly briefed the public on damage and rescue operations through live-streamed meetings.

While the government promised to update human casualty figures, including the missing and dead, every two to three hours, the updates were sometimes slower than the sporadic statistics released by local governments.

Instead, President Espriella chose a method of swiftly visiting the disaster sites to comfort the public.

On the night of the earthquake, he visited Quibdó, the capital of Chocó Department on the western coast close to the epicenter, and then moved to Pereira in the Andes mountains to inspect the situation.

In Pereira, he declared a three-month economic state of emergency and promised support.

The Chocó region is near the epicenter and is one of the poorest areas in Colombia.

Due to distance and transportation issues, it is a place where the central government's reach has been limited and armed groups hold strong influence.

President Espriella is evaluated as using this earthquake as a lever to highlight his political message and rally national unity.

He vowed, "Chocó will not be a forgotten land," and pledged to "mobilize rescue workers, search dogs, and technicians, as well as the military and police forces."

He implemented nighttime curfews in Pereira and Cali, major cities affected by the earthquake, to prevent looting, and notably banned general vehicle traffic in Pereira, allowing only emergency personnel and police on the roads.

President Espriella is right-wing, and since his campaign, he has advocated policies such as strengthening security, cutting taxes, pro-business and pro-market stances, and reducing government agencies.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.