Ankara: A sharp dispute has erupted between Colombia's outgoing President Gustavo Petro and President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, after Petro prohibited the use of military or police installations for the incoming leader's inauguration on Aug. 7.

According to Anadolu Agency, despite the executive order, De la Espriella insisted that he would move forward with his plans to be sworn in at a military garrison in southern Colombia, regardless of Petro's opposition. The clash began after De la Espriella announced on US social media company X his intention to break with tradition by holding the swearing-in ceremony at a military installation rather than the historic Capitol building on Bogota's Plaza de Bolivar. Petro's administration swiftly responded with a notification barring the plan.

'Military and police barracks remain under my command until the moment the new president takes the oath, and therefore, until that time, I am the supreme commander of the Armed Forces,' Petro wrote on X. 'No officer renders a military salute to a civilian unless that person is their supreme commander.' Petro reiterated that, under the Constitution, the formal transfer of power requires the incoming president to take the oath of office before a plenary session of Congress. In the exercise of his constitutional powers, he ordered all defense facilities off-limits for the event.

De la Espriella slammed the administration and pledged to keep his promise to honor the armed forces in the southern region. 'Despite the opposition of the disastrous and delusional outgoing government, Colombians can rest assured that I will fulfill my promise: I am going to be sworn in in the southern part of the country at a military garrison to pay a solemn tribute to the heroes of our nation and the uniformed personnel who protect democracy, freedom, and our institutions,' he wrote on X.

Addressing public spending concerns, De la Espriella emphasized that his ceremony would reject traditional official lavishness. He noted that he gave instructions not to spend the full budget typically allocated for presidential inaugurations, promising an austere ceremony "without extravagance" while adhering strictly to legal mandates.