Colombia to shut its land borders for presidential election weekend

(Photo: Frontera Informativa)

As a security measure for Colombia’s presidential elections on Sunday, the country’s land borders will be off-limits this weekend, national media reported on Friday.

Colombia’s land borders will be shut-down from 4AM Saturday, June 14 through 4PM on Sunday in accordance with Sunday’s presidential elections, according to Colombian news publication Pulzo.

All of the nation’s main border-crossing points will be closed with migration services being suspended at control stations such as the Jose Antonio Paez international bridge that connects Colombia’s northeast border with Venezuela.

Other main border sites to be out-of-order this weekend include the San Miguel, Putumayo bridge that links Colombia with Ecuador in the southwest of the country, as well as the bridge that connects the city of Villa del Rosario in Colombia’s northeast state of Norte de Santander with Venezuela.

The closing of Colombia’s borders come from a national decree of the Ministry of Interior in order to preserve order on Sunday when voting will take place between 8AM and 4PM.

This weekend Colombia will elect its head of state for the next four years with incumbent President Juan Manuel Santos facing-off against hardline opposition candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga on Sunday, June 15.

MORE: Zuluaga vs Santos: The proposals

Sources

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