Colombia’s National Registry Office said it has insufficient funds to finance the second round of the country’s presidential election, due to take place on June 20.
According to reports, National Registrar Carlos Ariel Sanchez sent a letter on Thursday to Colombia’s Finance Ministry asking that the Registry receive a total of $46 million to finance the electoral process – $6 million more than they have been assigned.
Sanchez said that the extra money is needed to pay for the creation of “voting kits” and the establishment of a system to pre-count votes, amongst other costs.
The National Registry was given a budget of $50 million to co-ordinate the election’s first round which took place on May 30. The office was congratulated for its efficiency on the day of the election, when results were published in record time.
Colombia second round of elections will see candidates Juan Manuel Santos and Antanas Mockus go head-to-head at the polling stations.