Just days before Colombia’s presidential elections, the national government has released new advice to local governments about the enforcement of an alcohol ban usually in place during elections, pushing the start of the ban six hours earlier.
Although the official decree states that Colombia’s alcohol prohibition during the presidential election comes into force on Saturday at 6 PM, Colombia’s Ministry of Defense announced on Twitter that they recommend local governments to push forward the law to 12PM, which happens to be in the middle of Colombia’s first World Cup match.
Article 15 of the official decree regarding prohibitions and rules in the presidential election states that Colombia’s dry law, that prohibits consuming and selling alcohol over a set amount of time, is to begin Saturday June 14 at 6 PM and end Monday June 16 on 6AM.
The decree also states that local authorities — such as state governors and mayors — can alter the timespan of the law application within their respective jurisdictions. In three tweets the Ministry of Defense announced their recommendation on Twitter referring to the decree and the local government’s rights to change the timespan. In the third tweet the ministry directly
3. De manera respetuosa se recomienda anticipar la #LeySeca a las 12m del 14 de junio, como lo sugirió el @mindefensa
— Mindefensa Colombia (@mindefensa) 12. juni 2014
Regardless of when the ban goes into effect, Colombians will go to the polls when they open on Sunday morning at 7AM to elect the next President of Colombia.
Sources
- Ministry of Defense Twitter account
- Listo Decreto De Orden Público Para Elecciones Presidenciales 2014 (Ministry of Interior)