New Delhi, Aug. 8 -- Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia's president on Friday (local time), marking the start of a conservative administration that vows to depart sharply from predecessor Gustavo Petro's left-wing government amid growing concerns about the country's finances and rising violence.

He took the oath before Congress at a ceremony in Cali and became the first Colombian president in recent history to be inaugurated outside the capital city of Bogota, Bloomberg reported.

In his inaugural address, De la Espriella said, "The time for restoring order, authority and freedom has begun." He also vowed to build mega-prisons, use the military to fight criminal organisations and eradicate coca crops with herbicides, adding...