Colombian authorities have received nearly 5,000 reports of electoral regulation violations since March’s congressional elections, according to the Agency for Electoral Transparency (URIEL).
URIEL, the state agency in charge of receiving, analyzing and referring complaints of the electoral process to the appropriate authorities, said in a release on Monday that there were 4,636 reports of electoral irregularities this year.
Colombia’s elections have been marred with complaints of electoral fraud and vote buying. Reports of electoral fraud have more than doubled in relation to the 2010 elections, according to Bogota’s Blu Radio.
Of the thousands of complaints, 1,426 are directly related to the presidential elections, reported Viceminister of the Interior Natalia Gutierrez Jaramillo in the release.
The most common complaints registered by URIEL were:
- 1,035 reports of violation of electoral propaganda rules and access to media
- 982 reports against the National Registry’s red tape
- 746 reports of voter corruption
- 613 reports against the election observer
- 474 reports of political intervention by public officials
The central state of Antioquia had the most incidents of reported fraud with 187 reports, followed by Bogota with 176 reports.
Consulate security to be tightened
Colombia’s Foreign Minister announced on Tuesday in a press release that the National Electoral Council has been asked to take additional measures to control electoral fraud overseas.
The minister has asked for the extra measures after ‘fake’ results were released on Twitter before the first round of presidential elections.
MORE: All early election results are false: Foreign Affairs Ministry
According to the minister, the National Electoral Council has pledged to prevent phone or cameras being carried into the overseas polling places.
Sources
- Continúa seguimiento electoral para la segunda vuelta (Ministry of the Interior)
- Denuncias sobre delitos electorales aumentaron en 80 por ciento, respecto a 2010 (Blu Radio)
Additional reporting by Larisa Sioneriu
