Colombia’s national electoral authority declared Thursday that the blank vote won an absolute majority in the March 9 elections to choose Colombia’s representatives for the Andean Parliament.
The Andean Parliament is a regional organism meant to provide representation to the millions of inhabitants of the Andes region. Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia are represented in the Parliament.
Colombia had the right to elect five representatives to the Andean Parliament, according to El Tiempo newspaper. These representatives have similar privileges as a congressman.
When a blank vote wins in an election, the elections should be held again. However, Colombia’s congress passed a law earlier this year to get rid of the direct election of the Parliament representatives, opting for them to be chosen by Colombia’s congress itself. For this reason, the elections will not repeat themselves, said the National Electoral Council (CNE).
MORE: Colombia constitutional court votes to end popular election of Andean Parliament members
Another law was passed in February to completely withdraw from the Andean Parliament due to the organization’s high costs. The law is waiting to be revised by the Constitutional Count and has yet to enter effect, according to Colombia’s FM Radio.
Sources
- CNE ENTREGA UN PARTE SOBRE RECLAMACIONES DEL CONGRESO DE LA REPÚBLICA (CNE)
- Consejo Electoral no declaró elección de Parlamento Andino (El Tiempo)
- Voto en Blanco ganó las elecciones del Parlamento Andino (FM Radio)
