BOGOTA: Colombia elected nationalist lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella as its new president on Sunday, according to an initial vote count, marking a sharp political turn and bringing a hardline security agenda and market-friendly policies to the fore.
Nicknamed "The Tiger" by his followers, De La Espriella portrayed himself as an anti-establishment savior capable of reviving Colombia's ailing economy and restoring order in a country rattled by illegal armed groups and drug trafficking.