Colombia's new 'Temu White House' fuels debate over seat of power

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - General view of the Colombia's Presidency headquarters inside Army's Paraiso batallion during the meeting of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella in Barranquilla, Colombia on September 8, 2026. Colombia's new right-wing leader has built himself a costly new presidential palace -- a white-columned mansion far from Bogota that doubles as a political manifesto. Tucked inside a Caribbean military base, President Abelardo de la Espriella's new headquarters is meant to embody two of his signature promises: a focus on Colombia's security forces and shifting power away from a capital accused of neglecting the country's regions. — AFP pic

BARRANQUILLA (Colombia), Oct 20 — Colombia’s new right-wing leader has built himself a costly new presidential palace — a white-columned mansion far from Bogota that doubles as a political manifesto.

Tucked inside a Caribbean military base, President Abelardo de la Espriella’s new headquarters is meant to embody two of his signature promises: a focus on Colombia’s security forces and shifting power away from a capital accused of neglecting the country’s regions.

The austere neoclassical building, set amid tropical gardens and palm trees in Barranquilla, has quickly become one of the most visible symbols of his presidency.

Admirers see a bold statement of decentralisation from a leader determined to govern from beyond Bogota.

“For a very long time, the coast and the regions outside Bogota have been forgotten,” said Libardo Charris, a 54-year-old furniture merchant in Barranquilla.

The debate has even prompted questions about whether a city of about 1.3 million people is the new seat of power.

De la Espriella has frequently refers to Barranquilla as the “alternative capital.”

Critics dismiss it as an expensive political stage set that has earned the mocking nickname “the Temu White House.”

Constitutional experts say transforming Barranquilla into an official alternative seat of government would be difficult, although some Colombian presidents have occasionally governed from cities outside the capital.

“It is not an alternative capital. It is a place where the president stays for a few days and carries out his functions,” constitutional lawyer Juan Manuel Charry told AFP.

Creating a second capital would require constitutional reform and approval by Congress.

Political price tag 

From the streets around the sprawling military compound, little of the mansion can be seen.

The property sits inside a restricted area of more than 50,000 square metres, roughly the size of several soccer fields.

A modest sign outside reads: “Presidency of the Republic. Freedom and Order.”

The mansion has already hosted high-profile visitors, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez.

Military personnel continue their daily routines around the complex, while official vehicles, aides and security details come and go.

The facilities include an underground bunker designed to shelter the president and senior civilian and military officials in a crisis.

An admirer of US President Donald Trump, De la Espriella has bristled at comparisons between his new base and the White House.

Yet social media has filled with memes highlighting the resemblance, while critics accuse him of embracing symbolism over substance.

De la Espriella often works from the compound dressed in tactical clothing, dark glasses and a baseball cap, blending into the military surroundings.

He arrives by helicopter or in convoys of armored vehicles, images regularly showcased on his social media accounts.

Recently he led a security operation in a nearby city carrying a pistol on his belt.

Better known as the hometown of pop star Shakira and for its carnival celebrations than as a center of political power, Barranquilla has found itself unexpectedly at the heart of national politics.

Gabriel Sanchez, a 47-year-old shopkeeper, said he welcomed the fact that Colombia’s Caribbean region was now receiving greater attention. Under De la Espriella, he said, the coast is “more visible.”

Street vendor Darlys Patricia Guerrero, 40, said it was “great” to have a presidential headquarters in the sweltering coastal city rather than the high-altitude capital.

“I’ve never seen the president around here,” she told AFP outside the Paradise Battalion base.

At a time of fiscal strain, opponents question the roughly US$650,000 (RM2.7 million) spent renovating the 1938 mansion, according to the Atlantico province’s governor, as well as the cost of moving presidential operations to Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

The criticism is pointed because De la Espriella, a wealthy former lawyer, won office promising a hard line against crime, a defense of traditional values and a leaner state.

Opponents argue that true decentralization requires transferring resources and decision-making powers to the regions rather than relocating the president’s desk.

“There are two governments: the one shown to the cameras and another behind it that we see in the territories,” said Edwin Capaz Lectamo, an Indigenous leader from the southwestern department of Cauca.

Yet beyond the legal questions, political arguments and online jokes, the Barranquilla headquarters has revived a long-running rivalry between Colombia’s Caribbean coast and the Andean capital.

“There’s more joy, more spontaneity here,” said homemaker Alejandra Diaz, 38, comparing her city with Bogota.

Whether it proves a lasting shift in how Colombia is governed or simply a costly symbol, the white-columned mansion has already achieved one thing: turning a building into a national debate about where power belongs. — AFP