Three weeks before he is scheduled to be sworn into office, Colombia’s Vice President-elect Jose Manuel Restrepo said Tuesday that his nation hopes to turn around its fortunes by freeing up its economy and strengthening U.S. relations.

Following his Aug. 7 inauguration, Mr. Restrepo will be a leading member of a center-right government in Bogota led by President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, who narrowly defeated the left-wing candidate endorsed by outgoing President Gustavo Petro.

Speaking to the Atlantic Council think tank — where he once served as a non-resident fellow — Mr. Restrepo said economic success in Colombia will be a natural byproduct of democratic reforms.

“We are convinced that we can get prosperity in Colombia, because we said we are going to attain freedom for our people and security for them,” he said. “We are working for the most vulnerable people in Colombia – those who are suffering from health issues, suffering in education, suffering because of extortion and terrorism, and suffering because of the lack of employment.”

With the election, Colombia became the latest country in Latin America to shift decisively to the right as part of a sweeping populist-conservative wave across Central and South America — a wave that also includes President Jose Antonio Kast in Chile and Rodrigo Paz Pereira in Bolivia.

Analysts say factors such as economic stagnation, crime, and anti-incumbent sentiment helped to drive the elections.

Throughout his time in office, Mr. Petro was a fierce political and diplomatic antagonist of President Trump. A former anti-government guerrilla and Colombia’s first far-left president, he had frequent disputes with the White House, which played out in public clashes and personal insults.

Mr. Restrepo said one of the priorities of the new government will be rebuilding Colombia’s fractured relationship with the United States.

He envisioned a strategic partnership between Bogota and Washington that would include expanding bilateral trade and attracting new investments.

The new government wants to restore private investment initiatives in Colombia rather than the idea that “statization” is the solution., Mr. Restrepo said.

“We have the worst numbers in more than four decades in Colombia in terms of the relationship between investment and GDP,” he said.

Mr. Restrepo said violent crime in Colombia has skyrocketed during Mr. Petro’s administration and kidnappings have doubled since 2022. “We are in a real pandemic of insecurity and criminality,” he said.

The incoming vice president said the previous government was opposed to large private enterprise, including the oil and gas industry, mining, and private housing.

“So they destroyed those sectors. Well, you need them,” Mr. Restrepo said. “You need infrastructure to connect the country with the world. You need housing to create employment and build the idea of Colombia as a land of proprietors.”

Omar Bula Escobar, Colombia’s incoming foreign minister, said the new administration will have to take on the rampant crime in the country at the hands of armed groups fueled by illegal activities including drug trafficking and illegal mining.

“This is a monster that has taken over our country. It’s a monster that has penetrated all of our institutions,” Mr. Escobar said. “It’s probably one of the most difficult obstacles we have ahead because it [exists] both in the public sector and the private sector.”

Mr. Escobar said he hopes to discuss Colombia’s challenges on crime with Trump administration officials while he is in Washington.